# Matplot using on Node-RED
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/matplot-using-on-node-red/18162
**Category:** General
**Created:** [19 November 2019 19:37 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/matplot-using-on-node-red/18162 "2019-11-19T19:37:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [20 November 2019 09:31 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/matplot-using-on-node-red/18162/21 "2019-11-20T09:31:56Z")
OK, so the command will not run on the server in a terminal, in that case it is not going to run in an exec node either.
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### Author:  [@ALOKA1432](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ALOKA1432)
#### Post date: [20 November 2019 09:33 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/matplot-using-on-node-red/18162/22 "2019-11-20T09:33:48Z")
@Colin Yup. I have to install a dekstop environment. All are more than a GB. Do you know any lightweight desktop environment for ubuntu ?
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### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [20 November 2019 09:35 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/matplot-using-on-node-red/18162/23 "2019-11-20T09:35:12Z")
I don't think matlab is the right tool for the job. You need to find command line tools that will do whatever you need to do.
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### Author:  [@ALOKA1432](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ALOKA1432)
#### Post date: [20 November 2019 09:36 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/matplot-using-on-node-red/18162/24 "2019-11-20T09:36:16Z")
Any suggestion?
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### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [20 November 2019 09:38 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/matplot-using-on-node-red/18162/25 "2019-11-20T09:38:08Z")
Since you haven't given a clue about what you are trying to do then no I haven't. However a node-red forum is unlikely to be the best place to ask that.
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### Author:  [@bakman2](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/bakman2)
#### Post date: [20 November 2019 09:39 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/matplot-using-on-node-red/18162/26 "2019-11-20T09:39:28Z")
Reading the matplotlib documentation, instead of spawning a window, you can save the output to an svg or png.
I even see output to plotly, you could use this to show it on the node-red dashboard. These options will limit interactivity compared to a window, but it could work.
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### Author:  [@ALOKA1432](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ALOKA1432)
#### Post date: [20 November 2019 09:40 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/matplot-using-on-node-red/18162/27 "2019-11-20T09:40:41Z")
Thanks @bakman2
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### Author:  [@afelix](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/afelix)
#### Post date: [20 November 2019 10:51 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/matplot-using-on-node-red/18162/28 "2019-11-20T10:51:15Z")
Bokeh might be another solution, but the JS side of things when working between python and JavaScript take a lot of time setting up.
[https://docs.bokeh.org/en/latest/index.html](https://docs.bokeh.org/en/latest/index.html)
I’ve good experience with an environment that is a mix of python and js using Baidu’s eCharts.
What I do there is have python do the processing of data, then output all needed info in a dict, which is then converted to json and returned. When doing this with an exec node, you would print the json to stdout, use a json node to get it back in object form, then set up the echarts instance in a dashboard template node and make sure it comes in there. Personally I don’t use the dashboard nodes but uibuilder for this but both situations should work.
[https://www.echartsjs.com/en/index.html](https://www.echartsjs.com/en/index.html)
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