A horizontal box plot displays the distribution of numerical data through quartiles with the boxes oriented horizontally. This orientation is particularly useful when category labels are long or when comparing many groups, as it allows for easier reading of labels on the y-axis.
""" anyplot.ai
box-horizontal: Horizontal Box Plot
Library: matplotlib 3.10.9 | Python 3.13.13
Quality: 88/100 | Updated: 2026-05-12
"""
import os
import sys
sys.path = [p for p in sys.path if p not in ("", ".")]
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
# Theme tokens
THEME = os.getenv("ANYPLOT_THEME", "light")
PAGE_BG = "#FAF8F1" if THEME == "light" else "#1A1A17"
INK = "#1A1A17" if THEME == "light" else "#F0EFE8"
INK_SOFT = "#4A4A44" if THEME == "light" else "#B8B7B0"
BRAND = "#009E73"
# Data - Response times (ms) by service type
np.random.seed(42)
services = [
"Authentication Service",
"Database Query",
"File Upload",
"Payment Processing",
"Email Notification",
"Image Processing",
]
# Generate data with different distributions to show variety
data = [
np.random.normal(150, 30, 80), # Auth - tight distribution
np.concatenate([np.random.normal(200, 40, 70), [450, 480, 520]]), # DB - with outliers
np.random.normal(500, 100, 90), # File upload - wider spread
np.random.exponential(180, 85) + 100, # Payment - skewed right
np.random.normal(80, 15, 75), # Email - fast and tight
np.random.uniform(300, 800, 60), # Image - wide uniform spread
]
# Create figure
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(16, 9), facecolor=PAGE_BG)
ax.set_facecolor(PAGE_BG)
# Create horizontal box plot
bp = ax.boxplot(
data,
vert=False,
tick_labels=services,
patch_artist=True,
widths=0.6,
flierprops={"marker": "o", "markersize": 8, "markerfacecolor": BRAND, "markeredgecolor": BRAND},
medianprops={"color": INK, "linewidth": 2.5},
whiskerprops={"color": INK_SOFT, "linewidth": 2},
capprops={"color": INK_SOFT, "linewidth": 2},
boxprops={"facecolor": BRAND, "edgecolor": BRAND, "linewidth": 2, "alpha": 0.7},
)
# Labels and styling
ax.set_xlabel("Response Time (ms)", fontsize=20, color=INK)
ax.set_ylabel("Service Type", fontsize=20, color=INK)
ax.set_title("box-horizontal · matplotlib · anyplot.ai", fontsize=24, fontweight="medium", color=INK)
ax.tick_params(axis="both", labelsize=16, colors=INK_SOFT)
ax.spines["top"].set_visible(False)
ax.spines["right"].set_visible(False)
for s in ("left", "bottom"):
ax.spines[s].set_color(INK_SOFT)
ax.xaxis.grid(True, alpha=0.15, linewidth=0.8, color=INK_SOFT)
plt.tight_layout()
plt.savefig(f"plot-{THEME}.png", dpi=300, bbox_inches="tight", facecolor=PAGE_BG)
Part of Horizontal Box Plot on anyplot.ai.