How to Install and Use DataEase: An Open‑Source Big Data Visualization Tool

Introduction

DataEase is an open‑source data‑visualization and analysis tool marketed as "usable by anyone". It has over 4.1K stars on GitHub and aims to help users quickly analyze data, gain business insights, and improve operations. The tool supports many data sources, drag‑and‑drop chart creation, and sharing.

Architecture

DataEase combines popular big‑data technologies Apache Doris and Kettle, making it a good learning project for these technologies.

System Architecture

The technology stack includes:

SpringBoot – backend framework

MySQL – data storage

Apache Doris – modern MPP analytical database with sub‑second query response

Kettle – Java‑based ETL tool

Docker – containerized deployment

Vue – frontend framework

Element – UI component library

These components are orchestrated via Docker‑Compose scripts.

Functional Architecture

DataEase provides modules for data sources, datasets, views, dashboards, and templates, enabling end‑to‑end visualization workflows.

Installation

Download the installation package (e.g., version v1.5.2) and run the provided install.sh script. Ensure MySQL is installed; additional configuration may be required.

Download the tarball from the GitHub releases page and extract it on the Linux server.

<code>tar -zxvf dataease-v1.5.2-online.tar.gz</code>

Edit

install.conf

to set the service port (e.g., DE_PORT=8010) and MySQL connection details.

<code># Basic configuration
DE_BASE=/opt
DE_PORT=8010

# MySQL configuration
DE_EXTERNAL_MYSQL=false
DE_MYSQL_HOST=mysql-de
DE_MYSQL_PORT=3307
DE_MYSQL_DB=dataease
DE_MYSQL_USER=root
DE_MYSQL_PASSWORD=Password123@mysql</code>

Modify

docker-compose.yml

to adjust container names and network settings.

<code>services:
  dataease:
    image: registry.cn-qingdao.aliyuncs.com/dataease/dataease:v1.5.2
    container_name: dataease
    ports:
      - ${DE_PORT}:8081
    volumes:
      - ${DE_BASE}/dataease/conf:/opt/dataease/conf
    depends_on:
      - mysql-de
    networks:
      - dataease-network

networks:
  dataease-network:
    driver: bridge
    ipam:
      config:
        - subnet: 172.33.0.0/16
          gateway: 172.33.0.1</code>

Adjust Doris and MySQL compose files similarly to avoid network conflicts.

<code># Example for Doris front‑end service
services:
  doris-fe:
    image: registry.cn-qingdao.aliyuncs.com/dataease/doris:0.15
    networks:
      dataease-network:
        ipv4_address: 172.33.0.198</code>

Open firewall port 8010 if needed.

<code>firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-port=8010/tcp --permanent
firewall-cmd --reload</code>

Run the installer:

<code>./install.sh</code>

After installation, access DataEase at

http://<span>$LOCAL_IP</span>:8010

with username

admin

and password

dataease

.

Usage

DataEase enables data visualization without writing code. The following examples use Excel and MySQL data.

Basic Concepts

Data source – connection information for databases, Excel, etc.

Dataset – collection of data from a source, can be a table, Excel file, or custom SQL.

View – a single chart (line, bar, pie, etc.) displayed on a dashboard.

Dashboard – a screen composed of multiple views.

Template – pre‑built layout and data for quick dashboard creation.

Excel Data Analysis

Log in with

admin:dataease

at the service URL.

Create a new dataset by uploading the sample Excel file sales_dashboard.xlsx .

Build a view (e.g., a pie chart) by selecting dimensions and metrics, then save it.

Combine multiple views into a dashboard via drag‑and‑drop.

Database Data Analysis

Add a MySQL data source.

Create a dataset from the database or via custom SQL.

Generate views from the dataset and optionally enable view linking and drill‑down features.

Conclusion

DataEase is a powerful, code‑free data‑visualization solution that supports various data sources and leverages modern big‑data technologies such as Apache Doris and Kettle, making it suitable for both business users and developers interested in big‑data analytics.