fbpx
1-888-310-4540 (main) / 1-888-707-6150 (support) info@spkaa.com
Select Page

How to Create Google Charts with Python

Written by SPK Blog Post
Published on May 9, 2011

The goal of a typical system administrator is to get a job or task done as quickly as possible, without worrying about how elegant a solution might be.  Reusing any existing scripts, tools, or utilities are always the first line in tackling the job.  Often times, the job involves taking some form of data, and representing it in a more human friendly format.  In terms of network management, you may want to display ping times, uptime metrics, or other performance related data.  Excel combined with graphs are a common choice — its a quick, flexible, and universal tool that many rely on.

However, with the proliferation of the web, and the fact that most datasets are dynamic and not static, a more elegant solution does exist out there– Google Charts.  Google Charts is a web service hosted by Google.  You send them your data (in the form of an HTTP GET or POST), and they return back to you an image of the graph.  Google Charts is not to be confused with the Google Visualization API.  The latter is a JavaScript library that requires much more complex coding.

Google Charts is a quick and dirty way to get your data out there to the masses.  You can use any method to get your data re-formatted into an HTTP request.  I prefer Python due to its readability over Perl, and I prefer it over shell scripting due to its flexibility.  If you’d like to start creating web accessible graphs quickly, check out my How-To document which includes some sample code.

If you have any questions about Google Charts, let me know!  Please also subscribe to our blog to learn more about how SPK and help save you time and money.

Latest White Papers

Costs and Benefits of Moving a .NET Application to the Cloud

Costs and Benefits of Moving a .NET Application to the Cloud

Do you know the full cost and benefits of moving your .NET application to the cloud? In this guide we’ll cover everything you need to know about your .NET cloud migration. Is this guide for you? If you’re faced with outdated legacy systems and the pressures of digital...

Related Resources

What is Observability And How Can It Optimize IT?

What is Observability And How Can It Optimize IT?

Your IT architecture is anything but simple. In fact, it’s more like the complex, yet silent spinal cord of your business functions. But what can you do when something goes wrong? Monitoring tools give you a partial view into business performance (or issues),...

Using Jira Advanced Roadmaps for Program Management

Using Jira Advanced Roadmaps for Program Management

.   Here is the VLOG transcript for Carlos Almeida, Vice President of Engineering, SPK and Associates discussing Jira Advanced Roadmaps. For the best experience, we recommend watching the video so you can follow along with any instructions. Introduction Today we're...