Subplots in JavaScript

How to make D3.js-based subplots in Plotly.js. Seven examples of stacked, custom-sized, and gridded subplots.

New to Plotly?

Plotly is a free and open-source graphing library for JavaScript. We recommend you read our Getting Started guide for the latest installation or upgrade instructions, then move on to our Plotly Fundamentals tutorials or dive straight in to some Basic Charts tutorials.

Simple Subplot

var trace1 = {
  x: [1, 2, 3],
  y: [4, 5, 6],
  type: 'scatter'
};

var trace2 = {
  x: [20, 30, 40],
  y: [50, 60, 70],
  xaxis: 'x2',
  yaxis: 'y2',
  type: 'scatter'
};

var data = [trace1, trace2];

var layout = {
  grid: {rows: 1, columns: 2, pattern: 'independent'},
};

Plotly.newPlot('myDiv', data, layout);

Custom Sized Subplot

var trace1 = {
  x: [1, 2, 3],
  y: [4, 5, 6],
  type: 'scatter'
};

var trace2 = {
  x: [20, 30, 40],
  y: [50, 60, 70],
  xaxis: 'x2',
  yaxis: 'y2',
  type: 'scatter'
};

var data = [trace1, trace2];

var layout = {
  xaxis: {domain: [0, 0.7]},
  yaxis2: {anchor: 'x2'},
  xaxis2: {domain: [0.8, 1]}
};

Plotly.newPlot('myDiv', data, layout);

Multiple Subplots

var trace1 = {
  x: [1, 2, 3],
  y: [4, 5, 6],
  type: 'scatter'
};

var trace2 = {
  x: [20, 30, 40],
  y: [50, 60, 70],
  xaxis: 'x2',
  yaxis: 'y2',
  type: 'scatter'
};

var trace3 = {
  x: [300, 400, 500],
  y: [600, 700, 800],
  xaxis: 'x3',
  yaxis: 'y3',
  type: 'scatter'
};

var trace4 = {
  x: [4000, 5000, 6000],
  y: [7000, 8000, 9000],
  xaxis: 'x4',
  yaxis: 'y4',
  type: 'scatter'
};

var data = [trace1, trace2, trace3, trace4];

var layout = {
  grid: {rows: 2, columns: 2, pattern: 'independent'},
};

Plotly.newPlot('myDiv', data, layout);

Subplots with Shared Axes

var trace1 = {
  x: [1, 2, 3],
  y: [2, 3, 4],
  type: 'scatter'
};

var trace2 = {
  x: [20, 30, 40],
  y: [5, 5, 5],
  xaxis: 'x2',
  yaxis: 'y',
  type: 'scatter'
};

var trace3 = {
  x: [2, 3, 4],
  y: [600, 700, 800],
  xaxis: 'x',
  yaxis: 'y3',
  type: 'scatter'
};

var trace4 = {
  x: [4000, 5000, 6000],
  y: [7000, 8000, 9000],
  xaxis: 'x4',
  yaxis: 'y4',
  type: 'scatter'
};

var data = [trace1, trace2, trace3, trace4];

var layout = {
  grid: {
    rows: 2,
    columns: 2,
    subplots:[['xy','x2y'], ['xy3','x4y4']],
    roworder:'bottom to top'
  }
};

Plotly.newPlot('myDiv', data, layout);

Stacked Subplots

var trace1 = {
  x: [0, 1, 2],
  y: [10, 11, 12],
  type: 'scatter'
};

var trace2 = {
  x: [2, 3, 4],
  y: [100, 110, 120],
  xaxis: 'x2',
  yaxis: 'y2',
  type: 'scatter'
};

var trace3 = {
  x: [3, 4, 5],
  y: [1000, 1100, 1200],
  xaxis: 'x3',
  yaxis: 'y3',
  type: 'scatter'
};

var data = [trace1, trace2, trace3];

var layout = {
grid: {
    rows: 3,
    columns: 1,
    pattern: 'independent',
    roworder: 'bottom to top'}
};

Plotly.newPlot('myDiv', data, layout);

Stacked Subplots with a Shared X-Axis

var trace1 = {
  x: [0, 1, 2],
  y: [10, 11, 12],
  type: 'scatter'
};

var trace2 = {
  x: [2, 3, 4],
  y: [100, 110, 120],
  yaxis: 'y2',
  type: 'scatter'
};

var trace3 = {
  x: [3, 4, 5],
  y: [1000, 1100, 1200],
  yaxis: 'y3',
  type: 'scatter'
};

var data = [trace1, trace2, trace3];

var layout = {
  yaxis: {domain: [0, 0.33]},
  legend: {traceorder: 'reversed'},
  yaxis2: {domain: [0.33, 0.66]},
  yaxis3: {domain: [0.66, 1]}
};

Plotly.newPlot('myDiv', data, layout);

Multiple Custom Sized Subplots

var trace1 = {
  x: [1, 2],
  y: [1, 2],
  type: 'scatter',
  name: '(1,1)'
};

var trace2 = {
  x: [1, 2],
  y: [1, 2],
  type: 'scatter',
  name: '(1,2)',
  xaxis: 'x2',
  yaxis: 'y2'
};

var trace3 = {
  x: [1, 2],
  y: [1, 2],
  type: 'scatter',
  name: '(1,2)',
  xaxis: 'x3',
  yaxis: 'y3'
};

var trace4 = {
  x: [1, 2],
  y: [1, 2],
  type: 'scatter',
  name: '(1,2)',
  xaxis: 'x4',
  yaxis: 'y4'
};

var data = [trace1, trace2, trace3, trace4];

var layout = {
  title: {text: 'Multiple Custom Sized Subplots'},
  xaxis: {
    domain: [0, 0.45],
    anchor: 'y1'
  },
  yaxis: {
    domain: [0.5, 1],
    anchor: 'x1'
  },
  xaxis2: {
    domain: [0.55, 1],
    anchor: 'y2'
  },
  yaxis2: {
    domain: [0.8, 1],
    anchor: 'x2'
  },
  xaxis3: {
    domain: [0.55, 1],
    anchor: 'y3'
  },
  yaxis3: {
    domain: [0.5, 0.75],
    anchor: 'x3'
  },
  xaxis4: {
    domain: [0, 1],
    anchor: 'y4'
  },
  yaxis4: {
    domain: [0, 0.45],
    anchor: 'x4'
  }
};

Plotly.newPlot('myDiv', data, layout);