What Is VisiData?¶

VisiData is a free, open-source tool that lets you quickly open, explore, summarize, and analyze datasets in your computer’s terminal.

Note

You don’t need to be a programmer to use VisiData. Knowing a little bit of Python, however, will make VisiData even more powerful for you.

Why use VisiData?¶

It’s fast.
- VisiData opens in a blink of an eye, and can load multi-megabyte datasets nearly instantly.
It’s nimble.
- VisiData makes it easy to search, filter, sort, and join any table.
It’s great for getting a grasp of new datasets.
- With just a few keystrokes, you can summarize any column.
It works with lots of data formats.
- CSV, Excel, JSON, and more.
It’s non-destructive.
- VisiData won’t alter your raw data unless you explicitly tell it to.
It’s keyboard-driven.
- You never have to reach for a mouse.
It lives in your terminal.
- VisiData plays well with other command-line tools, and you can run it on remote servers via SSH.

VisiData isn’t for every task. You might want to choose another tool for:

Complex analysis.
- You’re probably better off using Python, R, or another programming language.
“Literate” analysis.
- Although VisiData lets you save and replay your analyses, it’s not as legible/flexible as Jupyter notebooks, R Markdown, or other tools.
Mission-critical analysis.
- VisiData is well-engineered, but still a relatively young piece of software.