{"slug": "elk", "name": "ELK", "category": "dev-libs", "category_name": "Libraries and frameworks", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 4, "warners": 0, "score": 3.006, "rising": 1.67, "first": "2025-12-23", "latest": "2026-09-18", "why": "Elk (Eclipse Layout Kernel) is a very good package solving that", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 1, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "Elk (Eclipse Layout Kernel) is a very good package solving that", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": "github.com/cesanta/elk", "official_url": "https://eclipse.dev/elk/", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["ELK", "Elk"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 796030464, "item_id": 49751904, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751904", "by": "aqula", "date": "2026-09-18", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "There's also ELK that I found gave the best results.", "excerpt": "There's also ELK that I found gave the best results. Checkout some diagrams generated here - https://arcaide.foo/app/projects", "context": "", "use_case": "graph layout", "switched_from": "", "story": "Mastering Layout Engines in Graphviz: Dot vs. Neato vs. Twopi vs. Circo"}, {"id": 788269281, "item_id": 49266830, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49266830", "by": "sbarre", "date": "2026-08-11", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it comes with a built-in alternate layout called `elk` that I find does a much cleaner job", "excerpt": "FYI for any new or casual Mermaid users, it comes with a built-in alternate layout called `elk` that I find does a much cleaner job on complex flowcharts. See docs here: https://mermaid.ai/open-source/config/layouts.html", "context": "", "use_case": "diagram layout engine", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: Line9 - a Mermaid rendering engine with its own layout"}, {"id": 747507072, "item_id": 46719192, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46719192", "by": "jeffreygoesto", "date": "2026-01-22", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Elk (Eclipse Layout Kernel) is a very good package solving that", "excerpt": "Elk (Eclipse Layout Kernel) is a very good package solving that, you might want to check it's Javascript port https://github.com/kieler/elkjs", "context": "", "use_case": "hierarchical graph layout", "switched_from": "", "story": "Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt When Using an AI Assistant"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["graph layout", "diagram layout engine", "hierarchical graph layout"], "compared": [{"slug": "mermaid", "name": "Mermaid", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49707643", "title": "Mastering Layout Engines in Graphviz: Dot vs. Neato vs. Twopi vs. Circo", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49196657", "title": "Show HN: Line9 - a Mermaid rendering engine with its own layout", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46712678", "title": "Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt When Using an AI Assistant", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46367224", "title": "Fabrice Bellard Releases MicroQuickJS", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 796030464, "item_id": 49751904, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751904", "by": "aqula", "date": "2026-09-18", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "There's also ELK that I found gave the best results.", "excerpt": "There's also ELK that I found gave the best results. Checkout some diagrams generated here - https://arcaide.foo/app/projects", "context": "", "use_case": "graph layout", "switched_from": "", "story": "Mastering Layout Engines in Graphviz: Dot vs. Neato vs. Twopi vs. Circo"}, {"id": 788269281, "item_id": 49266830, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49266830", "by": "sbarre", "date": "2026-08-11", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it comes with a built-in alternate layout called `elk` that I find does a much cleaner job", "excerpt": "FYI for any new or casual Mermaid users, it comes with a built-in alternate layout called `elk` that I find does a much cleaner job on complex flowcharts. See docs here: https://mermaid.ai/open-source/config/layouts.html", "context": "", "use_case": "diagram layout engine", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: Line9 - a Mermaid rendering engine with its own layout"}, {"id": 747507072, "item_id": 46719192, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46719192", "by": "jeffreygoesto", "date": "2026-01-22", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Elk (Eclipse Layout Kernel) is a very good package solving that", "excerpt": "Elk (Eclipse Layout Kernel) is a very good package solving that, you might want to check it's Javascript port https://github.com/kieler/elkjs", "context": "", "use_case": "hierarchical graph layout", "switched_from": "", "story": "Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt When Using an AI Assistant"}, {"id": 741889761, "item_id": 46368110, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46368110", "by": "halfmatthalfcat", "date": "2025-12-23", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "elk (https://github.com/cesanta/elk)", "excerpt": "There are already libraries/frameworks that have supported this: * espruino (https://www.espruino.com/) * elk (https://github.com/cesanta/elk) * DeviceScript (Microsoft Research's now defunct effort, https://github.com/microsoft/devicescript)", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Fabrice Bellard Releases MicroQuickJS"}]}