> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/treeverse/dvc/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # dvc plots > Commands to visualize and compare plot data ## Description DVC plots commands generate interactive visualizations from your data files. These commands create HTML reports with charts and graphs to help you analyze model performance, training dynamics, and experiment results. ## Subcommands ### plots show Generate plots from target files or from `plots` definitions in `dvc.yaml`. ```bash All Plots theme={null} dvc plots show ``` ```bash Specific Files theme={null} dvc plots show training_history.csv confusion_matrix.json ``` ```bash Custom Output Directory theme={null} dvc plots show --out custom_plots/ ``` ```bash Auto-Open Browser theme={null} dvc plots show --open ``` #### Arguments Plots files or plot IDs from `dvc.yaml` to visualize. Shows all plots by default. #### Options Special JSON or HTML schema file to inject with the data. See [plot templates](https://man.dvc.org/plots#plot-templates). Field name for X axis. Field name for Y axis. Provided CSV or TSV datafile does not have a header. Plot title. X axis label. Y axis label. Directory to save plots to. Defaults to `dvc_plots`. Show output in Vega format. Open plot file directly in the browser. Custom HTML template for VEGA visualization. *** ### plots diff Show multiple versions of a plot by overlaying them in a single image. ```bash Compare Commits theme={null} dvc plots diff HEAD~1 HEAD ``` ```bash Compare Multiple Revisions theme={null} dvc plots diff main feature-a feature-b ``` ```bash Specific Plots theme={null} dvc plots diff --targets training_loss.csv accuracy.json ``` ```bash Custom Styling theme={null} dvc plots diff -x epoch -y loss --title "Training Loss Comparison" ``` #### Arguments Git commits to plot from. Compares workspace with HEAD by default. #### Options Specific plots to visualize. Accepts any file path or plot name from `dvc.yaml` file. Shows all tracked plots by default. Special JSON or HTML schema file to inject with the data. Field name for X axis. Field name for Y axis. Provided CSV or TSV datafile does not have a header. Plot title. X axis label. Y axis label. Directory to save plots to. Open plot file directly in the browser. Custom HTML template for VEGA visualization. *** ### plots modify Modify display properties of data-series plots defined in stages (has no effect on image plots). ```bash Set X/Y Fields theme={null} dvc plots modify training.csv -x epoch -y accuracy ``` ```bash Set Template theme={null} dvc plots modify results.json --template scatter ``` ```bash Unset Properties theme={null} dvc plots modify training.csv --unset x y ``` #### Arguments Plots file to set properties for (defined at the stage level). #### Options Plot template to use. Field name for X axis. Field name for Y axis. Plot title. X axis label. Y axis label. Unset one or more display properties. *** ### plots templates List built-in plots templates or show JSON specification for one. ```bash List All Templates theme={null} dvc plots templates ``` ```bash Show Template Specification theme={null} dvc plots templates linear ``` #### Arguments Template for which to show JSON specification. List all template names by default. ## Examples ### Visualizing Training Metrics ```bash theme={null} # Generate plots for training history dvc plots show training_history.csv -x epoch -y loss --title "Training Loss" ``` This creates an HTML file with an interactive line chart showing loss over epochs. ### Comparing Model Versions ```bash theme={null} # Compare plots across different model versions dvc plots diff v1.0 v2.0 v3.0 --targets metrics/accuracy.csv ``` Creates overlaid plots showing how accuracy evolved across three model versions. ### Custom Plot Configuration ```bash theme={null} # Create scatter plot with custom labels dvc plots show results.csv \ -x learning_rate \ -y accuracy \ --title "Hyperparameter Tuning Results" \ --x-label "Learning Rate" \ --y-label "Model Accuracy" ``` ### Auto-Open in Browser ```bash theme={null} # Generate and immediately view plots dvc plots show --open ``` Enable auto-open permanently with: `dvc config plots.auto_open true` ## Supported Data Formats ```csv training.csv theme={null} epoch,loss,accuracy 1,0.8234,0.6543 2,0.5123,0.7654 3,0.3456,0.8123 ``` ```json metrics.json theme={null} [ {"epoch": 1, "loss": 0.8234, "accuracy": 0.6543}, {"epoch": 2, "loss": 0.5123, "accuracy": 0.7654}, {"epoch": 3, "loss": 0.3456, "accuracy": 0.8123} ] ``` ```tsv data.tsv theme={null} step precision recall 100 0.85 0.82 200 0.89 0.87 300 0.92 0.91 ``` DVC plots also supports image files (PNG, JPEG, SVG) for displaying confusion matrices, visualizations, and other graphics. ## Built-in Templates Line plot for time series data Scatter plot for correlation analysis Smoothed line plot Confusion matrix heatmap Bar chart for categorical data Bring your own Vega-Lite spec ## Output Structure When you run `dvc plots show`, DVC creates: ``` dvc_plots/ ├── index.html # Main visualization page └── static/ ├── data/ # Plot data files └── vega/ # Vega specifications ``` The output directory can be customized with `-o, --out` option or by setting `plots.out_dir` in DVC config. Plot files must be tracked by DVC (in `dvc.yaml` or `.dvc` files) to be included in `dvc plots diff`. ## Use Cases Visualize loss curves, accuracy trends, and other training metrics over time. Compare performance metrics across different model architectures or hyperparameters. Visualize differences between control and experimental model versions. Create confusion matrices, ROC curves, and precision-recall plots. ## Related Commands * `dvc metrics` - Display metrics in tabular format * `dvc params` - Track parameter changes * `dvc exp show` - Show experiments with metrics and params