plotly / plotly/dash

Performance issue with live updates

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P3 performance
Dominant language
Python
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Description

Dear all,

I have noticed a performance limitation of the updated graphs when I try to implement the live updates (https://dash.plot.ly/live-updates) tutorial.

I implemented the tutorial example without changes and it works as expected, however I noticed that if I increase the number of data points the traces on the dashboard cease to display (axis is rendered but no lines/markers are visible) when the number of points is greater than approximately 2000 (I used trial and error to find values that worked).

I tried changing the figure ‘type’ parameter to ‘scattergl’, but this was ineffective. This behaviour is observed in Chrome, Firefox and internet explorer.

If I increase the update interval time to e.g 5 seconds, I can plot 10,000 data points, but this is not very satisfactory as I am trying to base my own application on this approach but I need to plot e.g 24 hours worth of data at 1 second intervals, refreshing the graph with new data every 1-2 seconds.

Is this performance limitation expected and is there a way to improve this performance?

Contributor guide

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First steps

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  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Use the Dash live-updates tutorial linked in the report as the reproduction entry point. Vary the data-point count and update interval in Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer, including the reported scattergl attempt; done means explaining or resolving the missing traces at 1–2 second refresh intervals, or documenting the supported limit.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
data-visualization, performance
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
30/100

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