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ncv documentation

Documentation for ncv 0.5.21.

ncv is a terminal-native, read-only scientific data viewer for NetCDF-4, GRIB2, and Kerchunk/VirtualiZarr reference manifests. It is designed for SSH sessions on HPC systems and ships as a single Rust binary with no native NetCDF/HDF5 runtime dependency.

The focus is fast inspection, not editing: slice a variable, inspect exact values, compare time/depth frames, and export a publication-ready view — all without leaving the terminal.

How these docs are organized

This site follows the Diátaxis framework — four quadrants for four different reader needs:

QuadrantAnswersStart here
Tutorials“Teach me the basics”Quickstart
How-To Guides“Help me do a specific task”Inspect a variable
Reference“Tell me exactly what X does”Keyboard · CLI · Environment
Explanation“Help me understand why”Data fidelity

At a glance

  • Open: ncv data.nc, ncv forecast*.grib2, or ncv s3://bucket/key
  • Navigate: ↑/↓ variables, </> time, [/] depth, {/} files
  • Style: c palette, v reverse, a/l limits, f mask, s scale, z scope
  • Analyze: Space playback, click to pin, Enter/p for plots
  • Share: e exports PNG + SVG + JSON
  • Help: ? in-app help, Ctrl-P/: command palette, q quits cleanly

Get the tool

Download from GitHub Releases or build with cargo install --path . --locked. See the Quickstart for both paths.

Source, issues, and releases live at https://github.com/bbakernoaa/ncview-rs.