Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Pixi.js VS Shiny.js

Compare Pixi.js VS Shiny.js and see what are their differences

Pixi.js logo Pixi.js

Fast lightweight 2D library that works across all devices

Shiny.js logo Shiny.js

Shiny reflections for mobile websites 🌟
  • Pixi.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-14
  • Shiny.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-01-25

Pixi.js features and specs

  • High Performance
    Pixi.js utilizes WebGL to deliver high-performance rendering, which is ideal for building fast and responsive web applications and games.
  • Cross-Platform
    It supports multiple platforms, allowing developers to build applications that work seamlessly across different devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
  • Extensive Documentation
    Pixi.js has comprehensive and well-documented resources that help developers understand how to use the library effectively, including tutorials and examples.
  • Rich Feature Set
    The library comes with a wide range of features such as textures, sprites, and filters, enabling developers to create visually complex and appealing content.
  • Active Community
    Pixi.js benefits from a large and active community, which means frequent updates, a wealth of plugins, and abundant community support.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source library, Pixi.js is free to use and modify, making it accessible to developers with different levels of expertise and budgets.

Possible disadvantages of Pixi.js

  • Learning Curve
    Despite its extensive documentation, beginners may find Pixi.js challenging to learn and integrate into their projects because of its extensive feature set.
  • WebGL Dependencies
    While WebGL provides high performance, it can also cause compatibility issues on older devices or browsers that do not fully support WebGL.
  • Limited 3D Capabilities
    Pixi.js is primarily a 2D rendering engine, so it may not be suitable for projects that require advanced 3D graphics and interactions.
  • Size
    Compared to simpler libraries, Pixi.js can be relatively large in terms of file size, which could impact the loading times of web applications, especially on slower networks.
  • Complex Debugging
    Debugging issues in Pixi.js can be complex, especially in large applications, as it often involves low-level graphics operations and WebGL debugging tools.

Shiny.js features and specs

  • Integration with Shiny
    Shiny.js is designed to seamlessly integrate with Shiny applications, allowing developers to easily incorporate JavaScript functionality into their Shiny projects without extensive JavaScript knowledge.
  • Interactivity Enhancement
    It provides numerous functions to enhance user interaction in Shiny apps, such as showing or hiding elements, enabling or disabling inputs, and more, leading to a more dynamic user experience.
  • Ease of Use
    Shiny.js offers a simple and intuitive syntax that simplifies the process of adding JavaScript functionality, making it accessible even to those with limited JavaScript experience.
  • Extensive Documentation
    Comprehensive documentation is available, which includes detailed examples and explanations, helping developers quickly understand and implement various features.

Possible disadvantages of Shiny.js

  • Limited to Shiny
    Shiny.js is specifically designed for Shiny applications, which means it may not be useful or applicable for projects outside the Shiny framework.
  • Potential Performance Impact
    Adding too many interactions or using complex JavaScript features through Shiny.js can potentially affect the performance of the application, especially with large datasets or numerous UI elements.
  • Learning Curve for Custom JavaScript
    While Shiny.js simplifies JavaScript integration, developers will still need to learn and understand JavaScript for more complex custom functionalities not covered by Shiny.js.
  • Dependency Management
    Relying on an additional package introduces dependencies, which require maintenance and awareness about updates and possible conflicts with other Shiny packages.

Analysis of Pixi.js

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Pixi.js is generally considered a good choice for 2D graphics rendering on the web.

Why this product is good

  • Performance: Pixi.js is known for its fast 2D rendering performance, leveraging WebGL and falling back to HTML5 Canvas when necessary.
  • Ease of Use: It has a straightforward API, which makes it accessible for both beginners and experienced developers.
  • Community: There's a strong and active community around Pixi.js, providing plenty of resources, plugins, and support.
  • Features: It offers a robust set of features for 2D graphics, including support for sprites, text, animation, and interaction.
  • Cross-Platform: Pixi.js works across different devices and browsers, ensuring broad compatibility.

Recommended for

  • Game Developers: Those looking to create 2D games with efficient rendering.
  • Web Developers: Developers needing to incorporate graphics or animations into their web projects.
  • Digital Artists: Artists wanting to create interactive experiences or digital art pieces.
  • Educators: Those educating others in graphics programming or web development.

Pixi.js videos

PixiJS Crash Course

Shiny.js videos

No Shiny.js videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Pixi.js and Shiny.js)
Javascript UI Libraries
77 77%
23% 23
Development
62 62%
38% 38
Tool
53 53%
47% 47
Charting Libraries
88 88%
12% 12

User comments

Share your experience with using Pixi.js and Shiny.js. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Pixi.js seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 5 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.

Pixi.js mentions (5)

  • Release Radar • March 2024 Edition
    If you're into video game dev, then PixiJS is something you need to know about. It's a HTML5 game engine that provides a lightweight 2D library across all devices. This latest update has a new package structure, custom builds, graphics API overhaul, and lots more. You can read about all these changes in the PixiJS Migration Guide. Also big congrats to PixiJS for being part of the open source community for ten... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Advice about useful libraries to create a 2D car game (hill climb racing style)
    I would need a renderer to display the graphics of my calculations on the "backend". After some research I think pixijs which is written in TS could be a great tool. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Is programming just not for me?
    And if that seems to up your alley you could look into Javascript game/renderer frameworks. They have 2D engines like https://github.com/photonstorm/phaser or https://github.com/pixijs/pixijs . Or my personal choice A-Frame which is a 3D, AR and VR engine (XR) https://github.com/aframevr/ . Source: over 2 years ago
  • Pixie – A full-featured 2D graphics library for Nim
    This has a high risk of being confused with pixi.js: https://github.com/pixijs/pixijs. - Source: Hacker News / almost 4 years ago
  • Custome game engine: what stack ?
    WebGL, I hear, has a similar API to OpenGL. (Also, WebGPU is coming at some point.) Or, you could use a thin library that handles the WebGL drawing of sprites for you. I prefer that option over using a full game engine: I find it's better to only include dependencies when they become necessary. I recently tried a web rendering library called PixiJS, and it seemed like a pretty clean and nice-sized API, and... Source: almost 4 years ago

Shiny.js mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Shiny.js yet. Tracking of Shiny.js recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Pixi.js and Shiny.js, you can also consider the following products

p5.js - JS library for creating graphic and interactive experiences

Anime.js - Lightweight JavaScript animation library

Glottologist - JavaScript translation framework

D3.js - D3.js is a JavaScript library for manipulating documents based on data. D3 helps you bring data to life using HTML, SVG, and CSS.

Substance - A JavaScript library for web-based content editing

Paper.js - Open source vector graphics scripting framework that runs on top of the HTML5 Canvas.