What Types of Charts Can You Create with Pygal?

Updated

Pygal is a Python charting library that renders charts as SVG, and its chart types are exposed as classes you instantiate directly — for example pygal.Bar() for bar charts. The documentation's own front-page example shows this pattern: pygal.Bar()(1, 3, 3, 7)(1, 6, 6, 4).render(). So the practical answer to "what charts can I make?" is "whichever chart class Pygal exposes," and the authoritative list lives in the API Index and Module Index linked from the documentation.

How chart types are organized

Every chart type is a class on the pygal module. You create a chart by calling the class, pass data to it, and call .render() to get SVG output. The documentation's Index points to an API Index and a Module Index, which are the pages that enumerate the available classes and their parameters — that is where you confirm the full, current list rather than relying on a partial summary.

The front-page snippet is the minimal working shape:

import pygal

chart = pygal.Bar()
chart.add('Series 1', [1, 3, 3, 7])
chart.add('Series 2', [1, 6, 6, 4])
svg = chart.render()

The same structure applies to any other chart class: swap Bar for the class you want.

Chart types described in the documentation

The documentation's own description is deliberately broad — it advertises "Beautiful python charting" and "Simple python charting" rather than listing every class on the landing page. The specific chart types are documented in the API Index and Module Index, which the Index section links to alongside Documentation, Installing, Contributing, Changelog, and Search.

Because the landing page does not enumerate chart classes, treat the API Index as the source of truth for which types exist in your installed version. Pygal has historically covered common families such as bar, line, pie, and radar charts, but the exact set and their parameters should be read from the API Index for the version you have.

Customization options

Charts are customizable through options such as titles, labels, and styles. These are set on the chart object rather than passed as positional arguments, so the workflow is: instantiate the class, configure options, add data series, then render. The API Index lists the parameters available for each chart type, which is where you check whether a given option applies to the chart you chose.

Practical way to confirm what you can build

  1. Open the documentation and go to the API Index or Module Index.
  2. Find the chart classes listed there — each one is a chart type you can instantiate.
  3. Check the parameters for the class you want to confirm its customization options.
  4. Instantiate the class, add your data, and call .render() to produce SVG.

If a chart type you expect is missing, the Changelog page linked from the Index is the place to check whether it was added, renamed, or removed in a version change.