Sankey node
A node is one of the bars in a Sankey diagram: a place where an amount comes from, passes through, or ends up. Salary, Budget and Rent are nodes in a budget Sankey; Visits, Signups and Paid are nodes in a funnel. The bands between them are the links.
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Open the editor and type your nodes one per row, with where each one flows and how much. The diagram draws itself as you type. Your work is saved automatically in your browser.
Create Your Sankey Diagram FreeThree kinds of node
Nodes differ only by which side their links are on:
- A source has links leaving and none arriving: where amounts enter the diagram (income, raw material, traffic sources)
- An intermediate node has both: a point where amounts are pooled or split (a budget, a warehouse, a landing page)
- An end point has links arriving and none leaving: where amounts finish (spending categories, products, outcomes)
How a node's size is set
A node is drawn as tall as the amount it handles: the total of its incoming links, or of its outgoing links, whichever is larger. On an intermediate node the two should match. When they don't, the diagram is telling you that something arrives and is never accounted for, or leaves without having arrived, and SankeyCharts.app flags the node with the difference.
Naming nodes
A node's name is the label the reader sees, so it should be short and unambiguous. Use the same name every time an amount reaches the same place: "Rent" and "rent " with a trailing space are two nodes to a computer. In the editor, a link that names a node that does not exist yet creates it, which keeps the sheet and the diagram in step.
Common mistakes
- Too many nodes: past roughly twenty, small nodes become unreadable slivers; group the small ones into "Other"
- The same place under two names, which splits one node into two thinner ones
- An intermediate node that does not balance, usually a missing or mistyped amount
- A node with no links at all, which has nothing to draw
Frequently asked questions
What is a node in a Sankey diagram?
A bar where amounts arrive, leave or are split. Its height shows the amount it handles, and the bands that touch it are its links.
Can a node have flows in and out?
Yes. That is an intermediate node, such as a budget that receives income and splits it into spending. Its inflow and outflow should add up to the same total.
How many nodes can a Sankey diagram have?
There is no hard rule, but readability drops quickly past about twenty. Group the smallest nodes, or split the diagram into stages.
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The editor opens with a starter Sankey diagram. Type your own nodes and amounts, and the diagram rebuilds itself as you type. No signup required to get started.
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