Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Shiny.js VS p5.js

Compare Shiny.js VS p5.js and see what are their differences

Shiny.js logo Shiny.js

Shiny reflections for mobile websites 🌟

p5.js logo p5.js

JS library for creating graphic and interactive experiences
  • Shiny.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-01-25
  • p5.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-22

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.

p5.js features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    p5.js simplifies the process of learning and creating interactive graphics with its intuitive syntax, making it accessible for beginners.
  • Web-Based
    As a JavaScript library, p5.js runs directly in the web browser, enabling easy sharing and embedding of interactive sketches online without the need for additional plugins.
  • Creative Coding Community
    p5.js is supported by a vibrant community that shares a plethora of examples, tutorials, and resources, facilitating learning and troubleshooting.
  • Extensibility
    Its modular architecture allows for easy integration with other libraries like p5.sound, p5.dom, and even external JavaScript libraries, enhancing its functionality.
  • Accessibility
    p5.js emphasizes inclusivity, offering features that make it easier to create accessible web content, such as screen reader support.

Possible disadvantages of p5.js

  • Performance
    p5.js may not be as performant as other lower-level graphics libraries or frameworks, which can be a limitation for highly intensive graphical applications.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While beginner-friendly, mastering complex features and fine-tuning performance in p5.js can require significant effort and understanding of JavaScript.
  • Not Ideal for Large Projects
    Due to its simplicity and focus on learning and prototyping, p5.js might not be suitable for large-scale, production-grade applications.
  • Limited 3D Support
    Although p5.js offers 3D rendering capabilities, these are less developed and performant compared to dedicated 3D libraries like Three.js.
  • Dependency on JavaScript
    Since p5.js is built on JavaScript, it inherits the language's limitations and quirks, which might be a hindrance for developers accustomed to other programming languages.

Shiny.js videos

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p5.js videos

Processing or p5.js? My opinions

More videos:

  • Review - Q&A #1: Side-Scroller in p5.js
  • Tutorial - 17.11: Sound Visualization: Frequency Analysis with FFT - p5.js Sound Tutorial

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Shiny.js and p5.js)
Development
100 100%
0% 0
Javascript UI Libraries
11 11%
89% 89
Charting Libraries
8 8%
92% 92
Tool
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Shiny.js and p5.js

Shiny.js Reviews

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p5.js Reviews

20+ JavaScript libraries to draw your own diagrams (2022 edition)
A JS client-side library for creating graphics and interactive experiences, based on the core principles of Processing to make coding accessible to artists, designers and educators. Beyond drawing, this project provides offers web audio functionality, collision detection and even generation of graphical user interfaces from p5.js sketches.
8 Best Free and Open-Source Drawing Libraries in JavaScript
The p5.js library is a great option for people who are looking for a library that doesn't have a steep learning curve, but which can create very complicated systems if necessary. The get started with P5.js page on the official website has a functional example that draws circles wherever you move your mouse in only a few lines of code.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, p5.js seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 146 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.

Shiny.js mentions (0)

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

p5.js mentions (146)

  • Ask HN: Who Are Your Favorite Photography and Generative Coding Artists?
    p5.js is a JavaScript library that I've enjoyed messing with. It's related to Processing. https://p5js.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Art Blocks and the Future of Open Source with Blockchain
    Art Blocks, founded by Erick Calderon in 2020, is a platform that enables artists to create generative art using blockchain technology. It operates on the Ethereum blockchain, leveraging smart contracts to mint unique art pieces as NFTs. The process begins with artists submitting scripts that define the artwork's parameters. Once approved, these scripts generate unique pieces upon purchase, offering collectors a... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Rant: state of generative AI in code generation.
    In my experience with AI code generation, in visual projects like UI development or JavaScript based animation (using three.js or p5.js) etc. AI tools work pretty well. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Procedural Generation and Noise
    For this most recent assignment we were tasked with contributing a larger feature to an open source project. During my time with the previous assignment I worked on a game engine called Litecanvas, inspired engine by libraries like raylib and p5.js/Processing. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Antirez/load81: SDL based Lua programming environment for kids similar to Codea
    Let’s not forget P5js which has a long and esteemed history of helping to teach kids and more to program. It’s browser based so it’s compatible with every OS and requires no install. FOSS with an active community of users and contributors. I personally taught some middle schoolers with zero programming experience how to make interactive monsters in 1 hour. It was awesome! https://p5js.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Shiny.js and p5.js, you can also consider the following products

Pixi.js - Fast lightweight 2D library that works across all devices

Anime.js - Lightweight JavaScript animation library

Processing - C++ and Java programming at the speed of thought.

Substance - A JavaScript library for web-based content editing

Three.js - A JavaScript 3D library which makes WebGL simpler.

Glottologist - JavaScript translation framework