5 ways to publish and share a Jupyter notebook with your peers and stakeholders

Jupyter Notebooks have revolutionized the way data practitioners analyze, visualize, and share their work. These interactive documents combine code, visualizations, and narrative text, making them an indispensable tool for data analysts, data scientists, and product managers. However, one common challenge remains: how to effectively publish and share these notebooks with others. In this blog post, we’ll explore various ways to publish Jupyter Notebooks and introduce Fabi’s innovative solution—Smartbooks, which allow you to create interactive, reactive Smart Reports with just a click.

Traditional Methods to Publish Jupyter Notebooks

1. GitHub

GitHub is a popular platform for version control and collaboration. You can easily publish your Jupyter Notebooks on GitHub by pushing your repository. GitHub renders Jupyter Notebooks, allowing others to view your work directly on the platform. This method is excellent for sharing code and collaborating with other developers.

Pros:

• Easy collaboration and version control
• Public visibility for your work

Cons:

• Limited interactivity
• Requires some knowledge of Git and GitHub

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2. NBViewer

NBViewer is a web application that lets you render Jupyter Notebooks hosted on GitHub or other platforms. By simply entering the URL of your notebook, you can generate a shareable link that others can use to view your notebook.

Pros:

• Simple and quick to use
• No need for additional setup

Cons:

• Static view with no interactivity
• Dependency on external hosting services

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3. Jupyter Book

Jupyter Book allows you to build publication-quality books and documents from Jupyter Notebooks. This tool is excellent for creating comprehensive documentation, tutorials, and reports.

Pros:

• High-quality, professionally formatted outputs
• Supports multiple notebooks and additional content

Cons:

• Requires setup and configuration
• Learning curve for customization

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4. Binder

Binder enables you to create sharable, interactive environments that run your Jupyter Notebooks. It builds a Docker image of your repository and provides a link to an interactive environment where users can run your notebooks.

Pros:

• Interactive and executable notebooks
• Customizable environments

Cons:

• Can be slow to start
• Requires maintenance of the Docker setup

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5. Voila

Voila is a powerful tool that converts Jupyter Notebooks into standalone web applications. It hides the code cells and displays the content as an interactive dashboard or report. This makes it an excellent choice for sharing interactive reports without exposing the underlying code.

Pros:

• Transforms notebooks into interactive web apps
• Easy to share with non-technical users
• Hides code, focusing on output and interactivity

Cons:

• Requires a Voila server setup
• Limited customization compared to full web development frameworks

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Introducing Fabi Smartbooks: Next-Generation Notebooks

While traditional methods offer various ways to publish Jupyter Notebooks, they often lack interactivity and ease of use. This is where Fabi’s Smartbooks come into play. Fabi Smartbooks are designed to take your notebooks to the next level, allowing you to create interactive, reactive Smart Reports with just a click.

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What are Fabi Smartbooks?

Fabi Smartbooks are our next-generation notebooks that extend the capabilities of traditional Jupyter Notebooks. They provide a seamless way to share your work in an interactive and engaging format. Smartbooks combine the power of interactive visualizations, real-time data updates, and user-friendly interfaces, making them perfect for data storytelling and sharing insights.

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How to Publish a Smartbook with Fabi

Publishing a Smartbook with Fabi is incredibly easy and efficient. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Create Your Smartbook: Start by creating your you Smartbook right from the menu, then perform your analysis, create visualizations, and add narrative text.
2. Add filters and inputs: Optionally, you can easy add filters and inputs to create rich, interactive reports for your stakeholder. Fabi.ai offers a rich set of components such as dates, data ranges, lists, text inputs etc.
3. Publish as a Smart Report: Once you’ve completed your analysis in your Smartbook, you can simply click Publish, move elements around or hide tables and charts to have it display the way you want to your user (you probably want the summary and the final chart at the top of your report, not buried at the bottom)

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And just like that, you can invite your colleagues to view your Smart Report, they can adjust it as needed using the built-in filters which work thanks to Fabi.ai’s cell dependency tracking and reactive cells.

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Benefits of Fabi Smartbooks

Interactivity: Smartbooks support interactive widgets and real-time data updates, allowing your audience to explore the data and insights dynamically.

Ease of Use: Publishing a Smartbook is as simple as clicking a button. No complex setup or configuration is required.

Customization: Tailor your Smartbook to fit your needs with customizable layouts, themes, and interactive elements.

Collaboration: Share reports in the click of a button, collaborate in real time and leave comments.

Scalable: Fabi’s Smartbooks and Smart Reports are designed to be incredibly fast and scalable for both the builder and the consumer.

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Jupyter Notebooks are a powerful tool for data practitioners, but their full potential is realized when shared effectively. While traditional methods offer various ways to publish notebooks, Fabi’s Smartbooks provide a superior solution for creating interactive, engaging, and easy-to-share Smart Reports. With just a click, you can transform your static notebooks into dynamic Smartbooks, enhancing collaboration and communication with your audience.

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Explore the future of data storytelling with Fabi Smartbooks and discover a new way to share your insights. Try it out today and experience the difference!