Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

nbviewer.org VS Livebook

Compare nbviewer.org VS Livebook and see what are their differences

nbviewer.org logo nbviewer.org

Rackspace server host Jupyter Notebooks from your github repo

Livebook logo Livebook

Automate code & data workflows with interactive Elixir notebooks
  • nbviewer.org Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-19
  • Livebook Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-04-09

nbviewer.org features and specs

  • Simple Viewing
    nbviewer.org allows for easy rendering of Jupyter Notebook files directly in the browser without needing to run a Jupyter server locally.
  • Read-Only Access
    Notebooks are rendered in a read-only format, so users do not need to worry about accidental modifications while viewing.
  • No Installation Required
    Users don't need to install any software to view notebooks, which is beneficial for quick sharing with people who do not have Jupyter installed.
  • Supports Multiple File Sources
    Supports notebooks from various sources including URLs, GitHub repositories, and uploaded files.

Possible disadvantages of nbviewer.org

  • Lack of Interactivity
    Since nbviewer renders notebooks in a static, read-only mode, users cannot interact with the code or execute cells.
  • Dependency on External Hosting
    Requires access to hosted content, which may be unavailable if the source server is down or if there are network issues.
  • Security Concerns
    Hosting a notebook publicly via a URL or GitHub can expose sensitive data if not properly managed, as nbviewer does not provide authentication or access control.
  • No Offline Access
    Users need an internet connection to use nbviewer, which limits its utility in offline scenarios.

Livebook features and specs

  • Interactive Notebooks
    Livebook provides interactive notebooks that support live code execution, allowing users to experiment and see results in real-time.
  • Elixir Integration
    It is built on top of the Elixir programming language, offering seamless integration and leveraging Elixir’s concurrency and fault-tolerance features.
  • Collaboration Features
    Livebook offers collaboration features that allow multiple users to work on the same notebook simultaneously, improving teamwork and productivity.
  • Customizable Environments
    Users can customize their environments to suit specific project needs, including adding dependencies and scripts directly in the notebook.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source means Livebook is free to use and its source code is available for modifications and contributions from the community.

Possible disadvantages of Livebook

  • Limited Language Support
    Livebook is primarily focused on Elixir, which may not be suitable for users who require support for other programming languages typically used in data science.
  • Learning Curve
    Users unfamiliar with Elixir or live notebook environments might experience a learning curve when starting with Livebook.
  • Early Stage Features
    As a relatively new tool, some features might still be in development or lack the maturity and polish of more established platforms.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies within Livebook can be less straightforward compared to dedicated package managers used in other environments.
  • Community and Resource Availability
    Since it is a specialized tool, resources, community support, and third-party integrations might be less abundant compared to more widely-used solutions like Jupyter.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to nbviewer.org and Livebook)
Data Science And Machine Learning
Data Science Notebooks
67 67%
33% 33
Technical Computing
0 0%
100% 100
Data Visualization
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, nbviewer.org should be more popular than Livebook. It has been mentiond 13 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

nbviewer.org mentions (13)

  • Jupyter kernel for Logtalk
    Example notebooks are included in the repo and can be previewed using nbviewer:. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Is there a CodePen/OverLeaf equivalent for sharing and viewing Jupyter Notebooks/Labs
    Nbviewer (https://nbviewer.org/): very easy to use for smaller jupyter notebook that does not require heavy rendering. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Collaborative Jupyter Whiteboards
    Nbconvert renders everything exactly as it looks in your notebook app into a read-only HTML version and is what GitHub uses for notebooks. Interactive plots from Bokeh, Holoviews, etc can still work if you trust the JS, and since editing notebooks while showing them during a meeting usually doesn't go well, read-only is probably good enough (eager to hear feedback on this point though). The nice thing is that... Source: over 2 years ago
  • First data science project (visualization): What should I improve on?
    Just as a heads up, I used plotly to generate a lot of the charts, so you'll need to view it from an nbviewer like nbviewer.org. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Can someone please review my data visualisation notebook?
    I used a lot of plotly not knowing that Github wouldn't show it, so you'll need notebook viewer like nbviewer.org to see some of the charts. Source: about 3 years ago
View more

Livebook mentions (7)

  • Zasper: A Modern and Efficient Alternative to JupyterLab, Built in Go
    How's the maturity compared to Livebook? https://livebook.dev/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Elixir Learning Plan
    2) Start using IEx or LiveBook for any day to day scripting that I would normally use Python for. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Ruby in Jupyter Notebook
    Definitely look into Livebook and Elixir, and the whole ecosystem around it, including: - https://github.com/elixir-nx/axon Multi-dimensional arrays (tensors) and numerical definitions for Elixir - https://github.com/elixir-nx/scholar Pre-trained Neural Network models in Axon (+ Models integration) - https://github.com/elixir-explorer/explorer (for offloading large work to remote containers) -... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Ruby in Jupyter Notebook
    I love the approach, it's similar to what the Elixir folks have been working on with Livebook https://livebook.dev which seems somewhat more refined on the UI side + the benefits of distributed erlang/elixir (e.g. a livebook can interface with a live system and interact with the remote application/gpu etc). - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Show HN: PlayBooks – Convert on-call documents into executable notebooks
    You might also like Elixir Livebook! :) https://livebook.dev/. - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing nbviewer.org and Livebook, you can also consider the following products

Jupyter - Project Jupyter exists to develop open-source software, open-standards, and services for interactive computing across dozens of programming languages. Ready to get started? Try it in your browser Install the Notebook.

Observable - Interactive code examples/posts

Wolfram Language - Knowledge-based programming

nteract - nteract is a desktop application that allows you to develop rich documents that contain prose...

GitNotebooks - Jupyter Notebook Reviews Done Right!

Binder - Turn a Git repo into a collection of interactive notebooks