Highcharts on the server side

There are four techniques to run Highcharts on the server side. Please note that although GWT Highcharts by Moxie Group is mentioned on the Highcharts website, this is incorrect. It is a GWT solution that provides a framework for developers to implement web frontend in Java. All the server-side techniques have one thing in common—the chart is eventually exported to SVG format and converted into an image file. The first approach is to run both browser and web server on the server side. The second approach is using a Java implementation of a JavaScript engine on the server side. The third approach is to run a JavaScript webserver with a Highcharts module. The last approach, PhantomJs, a headless Webkit engine with JavaScript API, is the ultimate way to run server tasks in JavaScript. We explain each approach in the following sections and explore the approaches in more detail, from installation to producing a chart export on the server side. Throughout the chapter...