Graphviz


Graphviz is a package of open-source tools initiated by AT&T Labs Research for drawing graphs specified in DOT language scripts. It also provides libraries for software applications to use the tools. Graphviz is free software licensed under the Eclipse Public License.

Software architecture

Graphviz consists of a graph description language named the DOT language and a set of tools that can generate and/or process DOT files:
; dot : a command-line tool to produce layered drawings of directed graphs in a variety of output formats, such as.
; neato : useful for undirected graphs. "spring model" layout, minimizes global energy. Useful for graphs up to about 1000 nodes
; fdp : useful for undirected graphs. "spring model" which nimimizes forces instead of energy
; sfdp : multiscale version of fdp for the layout of large undirected graphs
; twopi : for radial graph layouts. Nodes are placed on concentric circles depending their distance from a given root node
; circo : circular layout. Suitable for certain diagrams of multiple cyclic structures, such as certain telecommunications networks
; dotty : a graphical user interface to visualize and edit graphs.
; lefty : a programmable widget that displays DOT graphs and allows the user to perform actions on them with the mouse. Therefore, Lefty can be used as the view in a model–view–controller GUI application that uses graphs.
; gml2gv - gv2gml: convert to/from GML, another graph file format.
; graphml2g: convert a GraphML file to the DOT format.
; gxl2gv - gv2gxl: convert to/from GXL, another graph file format.

Applications that use Graphviz

Notable applications of Graphviz include: