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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →CGView.js lets developers embed interactive circular or linear maps of small genomes in web applications. Its documented workflow starts with an npm install and a Viewer; the map itself is organized around a sequence backbone, tracks, and features or plots. For GenBank, EMBL, or FASTA files, the project points users to a separate CGParse.js tutorial.
What CGView.js is designed to do
CGView.js is an open-source JavaScript package for viewing and interacting with small genomes. The maintainers describe it as an adaptation of the Java CGView software, and the project says its viewer is used by Proksee for genome assembly, annotation, and visualization. The repository and project site describe the package and its use.
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The 2026 paper by Grant and Stothard presents CGView.js as an interactive option for genome maps that might otherwise be shared as static circular figures. It describes circular and linear layouts, nucleotide-level detail, smooth zoom and pan, and programmatic updates. These are reported design capabilities, not an independent performance evaluation. The paper is published in Journal of Open Source Software, 11(122), article 9930: read the paper.
How to start a map
The repository’s basic example uses npm and a Viewer. The example supplies either a sequence length or sequence, creates the viewer in a page element, and calls draw(). Consult the repository README for the exact code and current package details.
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- Install the package with
npm install cgview. - Import
cgviewand its CSS into your application. - Create a
Viewerassociated with a page element and provide the sequence length or sequence. - Call
draw()to render the map. - Use the project tutorials to add features and plots. To build a map from GenBank, EMBL, or FASTA input, follow the CGParse.js tutorial linked from the CGView.js project site.
The distinction between direct programmatic input and parsed sequence files matters: the basic Viewer example is the documented starting point, while the site directs file-based workflows to CGParse.js rather than describing file parsing as an automatic part of that example.
How the map model is organized
A CGView.js map is built around a sequence backbone, with tracks arranged around it. Tracks can contain annotated features or plots derived from sequence data. The documentation and API describe these principal components:
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- Sequence and Backbone: the sequence context and the visual reference around which a map is organized.
- Track: a band or region of the map used to display features or plots.
- Feature: an annotated item displayed on a track.
- Plot: a track representation for sequence-derived values, such as GC content or GC skew.
- Layout and Canvas: layout controls and the drawing surface; the documented layout format can be circular or linear.
- Legend, Ruler, Annotation, Caption, Settings, and IO: supporting map elements and interfaces exposed by the API.
Feature tracks can use one slot, separate features by strand, or separate them by reading frame. Those choices affect how annotations are arranged and how much detail is visible at a glance. The overview and documentation and API reference describe the map model and available components.
Choosing a layout and level of detail
Circular layout
A circular map places tracks around the backbone and suits the familiar overview of a compact genome. It can bring features and plots together in one visual frame, but dense annotations can become difficult to distinguish. Use track organization and zoom to balance an overview against nucleotide-level inspection.
Linear layout
A linear map displays the sequence along a line instead of wrapping it into a circle. It offers another way to inspect order and position, particularly when a circular overview is too crowded. The documentation supports both formats; the appropriate choice depends on the map’s purpose and density.
Interactive view or exported figure
An embedded viewer supports navigation and interaction; an exported image is useful when a fixed figure is needed. The project site lists PNG export up to 16,000 × 16,000 pixels and SVG export. It also describes smooth zoom to sequence level and deriving features and plots including ORFs, GC content, and GC skew. These are claims made by the project, not independently measured benchmarks, and the site does not state a publication date for those limits. See the official project page for its capability descriptions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Scale claims, licensing, and provenance
The CGView.js project site says the package can draw genomes up to 10 Mbp, with thousands of features and hundreds of contigs. Treat those figures as the maintainers’ stated capability, not a guarantee for every dataset or a result established by a published benchmark. Real-world legibility and responsiveness will depend on the map being rendered and how its tracks and annotations are configured.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The repository identifies the package as Apache-2.0 licensed and provides the 2026 JOSS citation: Grant JR and Stothard P, “CGView.js: a JavaScript package for visualizing small genomes,” Journal of Open Source Software, 2026, 11(122), 9930. The earlier CGView repository describes the original software as Java and notes the use of a JavaScript version for interactive web maps in Proksee.
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