DHTMLX Gantt - JavaScript Gantt Chart (Community Edition)

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Quick start | Build from source | Features | Community vs PRO | Frameworks | License | Links

dhtmlx-gantt is an open-source JavaScript Gantt chart library for visualizing and managing project schedules: a configurable task grid, a zoomable timeline, projects and milestones, four dependency link types, drag-and-drop scheduling, data export, and 32 built-in locales.

It is a framework-agnostic component that works with plain JavaScript and integrates with React, Angular, Vue, and Svelte.

This is the Community Edition of DHTMLX Gantt - distributed as the dhtmlx-gantt npm package under the MIT License and shipped as readable source code you can fork, modify, and rebuild. For advanced project management capabilities such as auto-scheduling, critical path, and resource management, see the PRO edition.

Quick start

Install the package, import the script and styles, and initialize the chart in a container element.

Install

npm install dhtmlx-gantt

Import

With a module bundler (Vite, webpack, Rollup, …):

import { gantt } from "dhtmlx-gantt";
import "dhtmlx-gantt/codebase/dhtmlxgantt.css";

The side-effect import also registers a global gantt, so plain <script> tags work against the bundled files in codebase/:

<script src="codebase/dhtmlxgantt.js"></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="codebase/dhtmlxgantt.css">

Add a container

<div id="gantt_here" style="width: 100%; height: 600px;"></div>

Initialize

gantt.config.date_format = "%Y-%m-%d";

gantt.init("gantt_here");

gantt.parse({
    data: [
        { id: 1, text: "Website redesign", type: "project",    progress: 0.4, open: true },
        { id: 2, text: "Research",         start_date: "2026-06-01", duration: 4, parent: 1, progress: 1 },
        { id: 3, text: "Wireframes",       start_date: "2026-06-05", duration: 6, parent: 1, progress: 0.6 },
        { id: 4, text: "Visual design",    start_date: "2026-06-11", duration: 8, parent: 1, progress: 0.2 },
        { id: 5, text: "Launch",           start_date: "2026-06-19", type: "milestone", parent: 1 }
    ],
    links: [
        { id: 1, source: 2, target: 3, type: "0" },  // finish-to-start
        { id: 2, source: 3, target: 4, type: "0" },
        { id: 3, source: 4, target: 5, type: "0" }
    ]
});

See a live demo · or run the bundled gallery with npm run start and open /samples/.

Build from source

Unlike a compiled-only distribution, the Community Edition ships its TypeScript/JavaScript sources and LESS styles, so you can read, change, and rebuild the library.

git clone https://github.com/DHTMLX/gantt.git
cd gantt
npm install

npm run build     # builds codebase/dhtmlxgantt.js (+ es module, css, d.ts)
npm run start     # dev mode: watch build + samples server at http://localhost:5173
npm run test      # builds, then loads every sample and fails on console errors
npm run lint      # eslint over src/

codebase/ is build output (generated, not committed). After npm run build you can serve the files from codebase/ directly via <script> tags, exactly like the npm package.

Repository layout

src/        library sources (TypeScript + JavaScript, LESS styles)
samples/    runnable demos (npm run start, then open /samples/)
scripts/    build, dev server, and test runner scripts
codebase/   build output (generated, not committed)

Testing

npm run test                 # smoke test: builds, then loads every sample
npm run test 05_lightbox     # smoke just one samples folder
npm run lint                 # eslint over src/

npm run test is a smoke pass: it loads every built sample headless and fails if any page throws or logs a console.error. It runs the build first; pass --no-build to skip it (e.g. in CI, where the build is a separate step).

Basic usage

Configuring the grid and time scale

// Configure grid columns
gantt.config.columns = [
    { name: "text",       label: "Task",  tree: true, width: 220 },
    { name: "start_date", label: "Start", align: "center", width: 90 },
    { name: "duration",   label: "Days",  align: "center", width: 60 },
    { name: "add",        label: "",      width: 44 }   // add-task button column
];

// Set the time scale unit and step
gantt.config.scale_unit = "week";
gantt.config.date_scale = "%M %d";

// Highlight weekends on the timeline
gantt.templates.scale_cell_class = function (date) {
    if (date.getDay() === 0 || date.getDay() === 6) return "weekend";
};

gantt.init("gantt_here");

Enabling plugins

Activate optional extensions before calling gantt.init():

gantt.plugins({
    tooltip:             true,   // hover tooltips on task bars
    quick_info:          true,   // touch-friendly task popup
    fullscreen:          true,   // fullscreen toggle
    keyboard_navigation: true,   // arrow-key navigation
    drag_timeline:       true,   // drag to scroll the timeline
    click_drag:          true    // draw new tasks by dragging on the timeline
});

gantt.init("gantt_here");

Multiple chart instances

Render several independent Gantt charts on one page with the Gantt factory:

import { Gantt } from "dhtmlx-gantt";

var chartA = Gantt.getGanttInstance();
var chartB = Gantt.getGanttInstance();

chartA.init("gantt_a");
chartB.init("gantt_b");

The default gantt export is itself an instance created this way, so existing single-chart code keeps working unchanged.

Reacting to changes

gantt.attachEvent("onAfterTaskUpdate", function (id, task) {
    fetch("/api/tasks/" + id, {
        method: "PUT",
        headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
        body: JSON.stringify(task)
    });
});

gantt.attachEvent("onAfterLinkAdd", function (id, link) {
    fetch("/api/links", {
        method: "POST",
        body: JSON.stringify(link)
    });
});

For two-way sync with a REST backend, use the bundled dataProcessor - see Backend integration.

Features

The Community Edition covers the everyday Gantt feature set, including projects (summary tasks) and milestones:

• Task grid - any number of configurable columns, a tree column, and inline cell editing
• Projects / summary tasks and milestones - task types with type-aware rendering and lightbox
• Zoomable time scale - single or dual scale; configurable unit (hour … year) and step
• Four dependency types - finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish, start-to-finish, with lag and drag-to-create links
• Drag-and-drop scheduling - move task bars to reschedule; resize bars to change duration
• Progress indicators - completion shown as a filled bar segment, editable in the lightbox
• Lightbox task editor - configurable modal dialog; add your own controls
• Smart rendering - only visible rows/columns are drawn, for large datasets
• Multiple chart instances - render several independent Gantts on one page via the Gantt factory
• Templates - override any rendered element (bars, grid cells, scale cells, tooltips)
• Plugins - tooltips, quick info, keyboard navigation, fullscreen, drag-timeline, click-drag
• Grid column resizing and a column-configuration API
• Data loading/saving - JSON/XML parsing and serialization, REST dataProcessor
• Export - to PDF, PNG, Excel, iCal, and MS Project via the DHTMLX online export service
• Skins - Material, Terrace, Meadow, Broadway, Skyblue, and more
• 32 locales, WAI-ARIA accessibility, touch support, CSP-compliant mode
• Event system - 100+ events covering interactions and lifecycle hooks
• TypeScript - bundled type definitions

Note: codebase/dhtmlxgantt.d.ts describes the full product API, so it lists some PRO-only methods that are not present in this edition.

Community vs PRO

This edition is intended for schedule visualization and manual editing. Production project-management features - auto-scheduling, critical path, resource planning - are part of the commercial PRO edition.

Need advanced project management features?

The DHTMLX Gantt PRO edition adds auto-scheduling, critical path calculation, resource management (assignments, histograms, and grouping by resource), working-time calendars, baselines and deadlines, constraints, split tasks, WBS, and dynamic data loading - capabilities designed for production project-management applications.

• Compare Community and PRO editions
• Download a free 30-day PRO trial
• Contact us: info@dhtmlx.com

Framework integration

DHTMLX Gantt works with popular front-end frameworks. The PRO edition provides ready-made components (ReactGantt, VueGantt, AngularGantt); the Community Edition integrates via the standard wrapper patterns documented below.

• React integration guide
• Angular integration guide
• Vue.js integration guide
• Svelte integration guide
• Salesforce integration guide

Backend integration

The bundled dataProcessor provides two-way data sync between the chart and a REST API:

• Node.js / Express
• ASP.NET Core
• PHP / Laravel
• Ruby on Rails
• Python / Django

License

This Community Edition of DHTMLX Gantt is licensed under the MIT License - see LICENSE.md.

You are free to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and sell copies of this software in any project, including closed-source and commercial applications, subject only to the MIT License terms. It is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Copyright © 2026 XB Software Ltd.

Documentation and resources

The full product documentation applies to this edition within the feature scope above.

• Product page - overview, screenshots, and key features
• Documentation - getting-started guides, configuration, and tutorials
• API reference - config, templates, events, and methods
• Live demos and samples - interactive examples for each feature
• Community forum - Q&A and discussions

AI-assisted development

Building with an AI coding assistant (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex…)? Two free helpers cover the dhtmlx-gantt package:

• DHTMLX MCP Server - connects your assistant to up-to-date DHTMLX documentation and API reference.
• Agent Skills - teach the assistant correct integration patterns and known pitfalls.

Useful links

• Export services
• Integrations

If this project helps you, please ⭐ the GitHub repository.