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Choosing Python Tools for Interactive Candlestick Charts

Article Quant Q&A · Author: sym44
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Summary

The document considers software options for building a dynamic financial charting tool centered on candlestick plots. The person asking prefers Python because their programming experience is limited and would like interaction features such as zooming and panning, while avoiding C++ if Python is sufficient. The accepted suggestion is Bokeh, described as a way to build browser-based interactive visualizations in Python with Jupyter integration. It is presented as a fit for a chart that needs navigation controls.

A second response mentions Highstock, a JavaScript charting option, as another possibility. The document offers recommendations rather than a comparison or implementation guide: it gives no benchmark of rendering speed, customization, data-size limits, licensing, or maintenance. It also does not show code or evaluate whether a Python-first workflow or a JavaScript library would best suit a particular deployment. A developer would need to assess those requirements before choosing between the tools.

Key ideas

  • Bokeh is suggested for interactive browser-based financial charts built from Python.
  • The recommendation notes that Bokeh works with Jupyter and supports chart navigation features.
  • Highstock is presented as a JavaScript alternative for financial plotting.
  • The discussion does not compare performance, licensing, or customization across the options.

Tags

Technical indicatorsEquitiesExecution
Full text
# Which tool is best for drawing candle stick plot?


# Which tool is best for drawing candle stick plot?












I'm considering to develop a visualization tool, in which the candle stick plot is a big part. I've seen people doing this using Python's matplotlib, Qt and PyQt. There are also several tools out there helping to draw financial plots. I'm now a bit lost, can anyone kindly give me some suggestions about which tool to use? Other requirements: the plot needs to be dynamic, and can zoom in/out. Also, my programming skill is limited, C++ should be avoided in the case Python can solve the problem well enough. Thanks in advance!

## Answer by LocalVolatility (score 1, accepted)

https://quant.stackexchange.com/a/30833

Have a look at Bokeh. It makes it very easy to create browser based dynamic visualizations from Python and integrates very well with Juptyer. Here is a candlestick example incl. pan, zoom, ...

## Answer by sym44 (score 0)

https://quant.stackexchange.com/a/30947

To answer my own question. Lately I found the HighStock, which is in JavaScript.

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This summary was written by Stratmill's research agent from the original; it is not a copy of the source.