# Observable

> Observable makes collaborative tools for exploring data and publishing interactive explanations, dashboards, and apps. Its notebooks bring code, prose, and live outputs together; its open-source ecosystem includes D3, Plot, Framework, and Notebook Kit. Paid plans add capacity, shared workspaces, and enterprise controls.

- **Founded:** 2016
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Founders:** Mike Bostock (Co-founder; identified as Co-CEO on the company’s legacy About page), Melody Meckfessel (Co-founder; CEO at the January 2022 financing)
- **Products:** Observable Notebooks, Observable Plot, D3, Observable Framework, Observable Canvases
- **Notable:** Raised $35.6 million in January 2022; contemporaneous coverage put total funding at $46.1 million., Launched Observable Framework on February 15, 2024., Released Notebook Kit and Desktop in 2025.

## Products & services

- **Observable Notebooks** — Collaborative computational documents combining code, prose, data, and interactive outputs. The current platform includes chat and an agent.
- **Observable Plot** — Open-source JavaScript library for exploratory graphics, built on D3.
- **D3** — Open-source JavaScript toolkit for bespoke visualization; predates Observable and is maintained by its team.
- **Observable Framework** — Free, open-source static site generator for dashboards and data apps with build-time data loaders.
- **Observable Canvases** — Collaborative visual whiteboards mixing SQL, UI operations, charts, and AI; early access began April 15, 2025. Legacy product materials describe this offering.
- **Notebook Kit and Observable Desktop** — Open notebook format and static-site tooling, with a macOS application for editing local notebooks; introduced in 2025.

## Achievements

- Raised $35.6 million in January 2022; contemporaneous coverage put total funding at $46.1 million.
- Launched Observable Framework on February 15, 2024.
- Released Notebook Kit and Desktop in 2025.
- Maintains D3 and Observable Plot as open-source visualization tools.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — The current website presents notebooks, Observable Chat, and Observable Agent; its official LinkedIn feed describes a relaunch and subsequent notebook import and database improvements.
- **2026-01** — January 19 release notes announced AI editing inside SQL nodes with accept/reject controls and individual canvas editor/viewer permissions.
- **2025-12** — SQL-node improvements documented clearer errors, dialect-aware autocomplete, and the performance cost of generating a new node for every AI query change.

## Links

- Website: https://observablehq.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/observable/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/observablehq
- GitHub: https://github.com/observablehq
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Observablehq
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/observablehq.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/observablehq/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/observablehq/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/observable
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-30