Should i use Dash or Plotly?

Dash Python
1

I recently started building a Webapp with Python. I’m using Flask and SocketIO, where some data is sent from Python/Flask through SocketIO to my Javascript Frontend.

I’m now looking to charting that data, for that i’m not sure what i should use between Plotly and Dash. Basically i should have some real-time charts, but those charts should also have historical data, so when the user opens a chart, he should be able to see the chart auto-updating and he should be able to scroll the chart and see data from the past hour, days or weeks.

I’m extremely new to this, so i don’t really know what would be better for me. I have a feeling that using Dash would be better for the whole charting-part, but it would mean completely re-making my code, since i have a Javascript-Jquery part. On the other side, using Plotly would mean not having to start again from zero, but i’m having a lot of trouble making my chart rea-time updated and with historical data into it.

Any kind of help/advice is extremely appreciated, thanks in advance!

2

Creating advanced, real time data-intensive web applications is hard. That’s exactly why we built the Dash framework :smiley: For real-time updating in Dash, you can use the dcc.Interval component: Live Updates | Dash for Python Documentation | Plotly

3

Indeed it is! One thing i was trying to understand is: in my current Flask work, i have this part of the page where a number is updated in real-time using SocketIO and Javascript, basically the Python/Flask script generates the number, SocketIO sends the number to Javascript and JS prints and updates the number on my Webpage, would i be able to do the same in Dash, above my chart, for example? I’m assuming yes since Dash is built on Flask too, from i understood!

4

totally possible, checkout this: https://github.com/ruskimarcin/dash-socketio-demo/blob/master/app.py