graphviz

Graph visualization toolkit

TLDR

Render DOT file to PNG

$ dot -Tpng [graph.dot] -o [graph.png]

Render to SVG

$ dot -Tsvg [graph.dot] -o [graph.svg]

Use different layout engine

$ neato -Tpng [graph.dot] -o [graph.png]

Render to PDF

$ dot -Tpdf [graph.dot] -o [graph.pdf]

Circular layout

$ circo -Tpng [graph.dot] -o [graph.png]

Graphviz is a graph visualization toolkit that reads graph descriptions in the DOT language and renders them as images. Multiple layout algorithms handle different graph types, from hierarchical directed graphs to force-directed undirected layouts.
The suite includes several layout programs (dot, neato, fdp, sfdp, circo, twopi) and utility tools for format conversion and graph manipulation.

PARAMETERS

-T format

Output format: png, svg, pdf, ps, jpg.

-o file

Output file.

-K engine

Layout engine: dot, neato, fdp, sfdp, circo, twopi.

-G name=value

Set graph attribute.

-N name=value

Set node attribute.

-E name=value

Set edge attribute.

LAYOUT ENGINES

$ dot    - Hierarchical (directed graphs)
neato  - Spring model (undirected)
fdp    - Force-directed
sfdp   - Scalable force-directed
circo  - Circular layout
twopi  - Radial layout

DOT LANGUAGE

$ digraph G {
    A -> B;
    B -> C;
    A -> C;
    A [shape=box];
    B [color=red];
}

CAVEATS

Large graphs may be slow to render. Layout quality varies by algorithm choice. Complex styling requires learning DOT attributes. Text rendering may vary by output format.

HISTORY

Graphviz was developed at AT&T Labs Research, with initial work by Stephen North, Emden Gansner, and others in the 1990s. It was open-sourced and became the standard for programmatic graph visualization.

graphviz

Graph visualization toolkit

TLDR

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION