What is rawgraphs-app?

rawgraphs/rawgraphs-app — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-06-24

★ 8,961JavaScriptAudience · designerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Spreadsheet to chart
      SVG export
      Browser only
    Input sources
      Excel paste
      Google Sheets
      CSV files
    Features
      d3 chart types
      Custom layouts
      No data upload
    Use cases
      Data journalism
      Design handoff
      Sensitive data safe

mindmap root((repo)) What it does Spreadsheet to chart SVG export Browser only Input sources Excel paste Google Sheets CSV files Features d3 chart types Custom layouts No data upload Use cases Data journalism Design handoff Sensitive data safe

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Turn a CSV export from your analytics tool into a custom data visualization without writing any code.

USE CASE 2

Create publication-ready SVG charts that can be opened in Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape for design polish.

USE CASE 3

Visualize sensitive internal business figures without sending the data to any external server.

USE CASE 4

Self-host your own RAWGraphs instance for a team that needs a private data visualization tool.

What is it built with?

JavaScriptd3.jsNode.jsYarn

How does it compare?

	rawgraphs/rawgraphs-app	beautifier/js-beautify	marcelscruz/public-apis
Stars	8,961	8,964	8,952
Language	JavaScript	JavaScript	JavaScript
Setup difficulty	easy	easy	easy
Complexity	2/5	2/5	1/5
Audience	designer	developer	developer

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Visiting app.rawgraphs.io needs no setup, self-hosting requires Node.js and Yarn.

Apache 2.0, free to use, modify, and redistribute for any purpose, including commercially, as long as you include the license and copyright notice.

So what is it?

RAWGraphs is a free, open-source web application for turning spreadsheet data into custom visual charts and diagrams. It was built by a research lab at Politecnico di Milano alongside two design studios, and it has been available publicly since 2013. The live version runs at app.rawgraphs.io with no account required. The tool takes tabular data as its input, meaning rows and columns of information in the style of a spreadsheet or a CSV file. You can paste data directly from Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc, or similar programs. RAWGraphs then lets you map columns of that data onto visual properties, choosing from a range of chart types built on top of a popular JavaScript visualization library called d3.js. The output is an SVG file, which is a vector format that stays crisp at any size and can be opened in tools like Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape for further design work. One notable design choice: everything happens inside your web browser. Your data never leaves your computer or gets sent to any server. This makes the tool suitable for working with sensitive information, such as internal business figures or personal data, without any risk of third-party access. For most users, visiting the website is all that is needed. For those who want to run their own copy, the README includes setup instructions using Node.js and a package manager called Yarn. The process is aimed at intermediate users comfortable with running commands in a terminal window. Custom chart layouts can also be added, though that requires writing code. The project is published under the Apache 2.0 license, which allows free use, modification, and redistribution. Academic users can cite a 2017 conference paper if they reference the tool in their research.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

I have a CSV with columns: country, gdp, population. Walk me through mapping these to a bubble chart in RAWGraphs, which visual properties should each column map to?

Prompt 2

I exported an SVG from RAWGraphs and opened it in Illustrator. What parts of the SVG structure should I edit to change colors, fonts, and stroke weights without breaking the layout?

Prompt 3

Show me how to add a custom chart type to a self-hosted RAWGraphs instance. What file structure does a new chart plugin need?

Prompt 4

I want to run RAWGraphs locally using Node.js and Yarn. Walk me through the exact commands from clone to running the dev server.

Frequently asked questions