Chartbrew

Chartbrew is an open source web application that connects directly to databases and APIs and builds charts from what it finds there. It removes the export-to-spreadsheet detour that usually sits between a live data source and a chart anyone actually looks at.

Work happens in a chart builder backed by a query and request editor, so a SQL statement or an HTTP request becomes a visualization without leaving the app. Dashboards are editable, charts can be embedded elsewhere, and team capabilities let more than one person work on the same project.

Running it yourself involves a short list of requirements.

• Prerequisites: Node.js 22 or newer, MySQL 5 or PostgreSQL 12.5, and Redis 6.
• Local setup: clone the repository, run the setup script, fill in the environment variables, then start client and server in separate terminals.
• Docker: an image is built on every release and configured entirely through environment variables.
• Encryption key: a 32 byte AES key has to be generated and supplied before the application will start.
• Queue dashboard: the BullMQ admin view is behind HTTP basic auth, with a username and password you set yourself.

A one-click droplet on the DigitalOcean marketplace handles deployment for anyone who would rather not assemble the pieces, and a hosted Chartbrew service is available too. The documentation site carries the quickstart, the environment variable reference and the current list of supported data sources, which grows faster than any README could track.