How to Create Data Visualizations in the Linux Terminal With YouPlot

When you think of data visualization, you probably imagine charts built in Excel or slick dashboards on the web. But what if you want quick, no-fuss visualizations right in your terminal—no leaving the command line, no browser required? That’s where YouPlot shines.

YouPlot is a command-line tool that turns plain text data into simple, clear visualizations directly in your Linux terminal. It’s fast, scriptable, and easy to use for anyone comfortable with the shell.

Why Visualize Data in the Terminal?

• Stay in your workflow: No context switching.
• Scriptable: Fits perfectly into data pipelines and shell scripts.
• Lightweight: No GUIs or heavy dependencies.

Installing YouPlot

YouPlot is written in Ruby, so you’ll need Ruby installed. Then just run:

gem install youplot

Alternative install: If you prefer using Homebrew, you can install YouPlot with:

brew install youplot

Not sure how to get Homebrew on Linux? Check out this guide:
How to Install Homebrew on Linux

That’s it. You’re ready.

Basic Usage

Suppose you have some data—a CSV file, a list of numbers, or a stream from another command. YouPlot works with it all. Here’s how to get started.

1. Bar Charts

Let’s say you have a CSV with fruit counts:

fruit.csv:

apple,10
banana,5
orange,7

Create a horizontal bar chart:

cat fruit.csv | youplot bar -x 1 -y 2

• -x 1 tells YouPlot to use the first column as labels.
• -y 2 uses the second column as values.

2. Line Charts

Maybe you have monthly sales data:

sales.txt:

Jan 20
Feb 25
Mar 15
Apr 30

Plot a line chart:

cat sales.txt | youplot line

YouPlot auto-detects columns, or you can specify them like with bar.

3. Histograms

For a quick distribution check:

seq 1 100 | shuf | youplot hist

This generates a histogram of shuffled numbers from 1 to 100.

4. Pie Charts

Pie charts are just as easy:

echo -e "Linux 50\nWindows 30\nMac 20" | youplot pie

5. Other Plots

YouPlot can also create scatter plots, boxplots, and more. Check out the official documentation for a full list.

Tips for Better Visualizations

• Pipe and filter: Use grep, awk, cut, or other tools to preprocess data before piping it to YouPlot.
• Try color: Use the --color flag for colored charts if your terminal supports it.
• Script it: Automate your reporting by including YouPlot commands in shell scripts.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need heavy software to visualize data. With YouPlot, your terminal is all you need. Whether you’re analyzing logs, exploring CSV files, or just want a quick chart without leaving your SSH session, YouPlot is a tool worth knowing.

Try it out. Next time you’re knee-deep in the terminal, pipe your data through YouPlot and see your data in a whole new way.

Mark Vincent

Tech enthusiast and content creator passionate about making technology simple for everyone. I share practical tips, guides, and reviews on the latest in computers, software, and gadgets. Let’s explore the digital world together!