What is echarts?

ECharts is a free, open-source JavaScript library that helps you draw interactive charts and maps on web pages. It turns data into visual graphics like bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, and geographic maps without needing deep programming skills.

Let's break it down

  • JavaScript library: a collection of ready-made code pieces you can add to a website to get extra features.
  • Free, open-source: anyone can use it for free and look at or change the source code.
  • Interactive charts and maps: visual graphics that respond to mouse clicks, hovers, or zooms, letting users explore the data.
  • Web pages: the pages you see in a browser; ECharts runs directly in the browser, no extra software needed.
  • Data → visual graphics: you give it numbers or categories, and it draws pictures (charts) that make the numbers easier to understand.

Why does it matter?

Charts turn raw numbers into pictures that are much quicker to read, helping people spot trends, compare values, and make decisions. With ECharts, even beginners can add professional-looking, interactive visuals to their sites, improving user experience and communication.

Where is it used?

  • Business dashboards: companies display sales, traffic, or financial metrics in real-time dashboards for managers.
  • Data journalism: news websites embed interactive maps and charts to let readers explore election results, COVID-19 stats, or climate data.
  • Education platforms: teachers use ECharts to illustrate concepts like population growth or scientific measurements.
  • IoT monitoring: factories show live sensor readings (temperature, pressure) on web panels for quick troubleshooting.

Good things about it

  • Highly customizable: you can change colors, shapes, animations, and layouts to match any design.
  • Rich chart types: supports basic charts, complex Sankey diagrams, 3D maps, and more.
  • Responsive and mobile-friendly: charts automatically resize for different screen sizes.
  • Strong community and documentation: many examples, tutorials, and active contributors.
  • No heavy dependencies: works with plain JavaScript or popular frameworks like Vue, React, and Angular.

Not-so-good things

  • Learning curve for advanced features: deeper customization may require understanding of the underlying option objects.
  • Large bundle size compared to ultra-lightweight chart libs, which can affect page load time if not tree-shaken.
  • Limited built-in data handling: you must preprocess or fetch data yourself before feeding it to ECharts.
  • Some older browsers may need polyfills for full functionality.