Trends and Comparison Among Popular Python Machine Learning Libraries

Python is one of the most popular programming languages worldwide, with an ever-increasing number of libraries and frameworks to facilitate AI and ML development. With over 250 libraries in Python, it can be a bit confusing to know which one is the best for your project and to keep up with technological changes and trends that come with all of them. 

Below are the popular Python machine-learning libraries I've used. I do my best to sort them out in terms of which ones to use for what scenario. There are a ton more libraries than just these, but I can't speak to libraries I haven't used, and I think these are the ones getting used the most.

NumPy

NumPy is a well-known general-purpose array-processing package, unlike other machine learning packages. For nth-dimensional arrays (vectors, matrices, and higher order matrices), NumPy offers high-performance (natively compiled) support and support for a variety of operations. It enables vectorised operations, in particular, which translate Python expressions into low-level code dispatches that implicitly loop across different subsets of the data.

NumPy Functions 

• numpy.linspace(start, stop, num=50, endpoint=True, retstep=False, dtype=None, axis=0)

The function's start and stop arguments, which are both needed, return values equally spread out across a predetermined interval.

• numpy.repeat

The array's elements are repeated with the numpy.repeat(a, repeats, axis=None) method. The second input repeats specify the number of repetitions.

• numpy.random.randint

The function numpy.random.randint(low, high=None, size=None, dtype='l') returns random integers from [low, high]. The random numbers are chosen from the range [0, low] if the high parameter is absent (None). 

Why Is Numpy So Popular?

Simply put, NumPy optimized and pre-compiled C code that handles all the heavy lifting, making it faster than standard Python arrays.

Numerous mathematical procedures used often in scientific computing are made quick and simple to utilize by NumPy.

Pandas

Pandas is quickly becoming the most widely used Python library for data analysis because it supports quick, adaptable, and expressive data structures that deal with both "relational" and "labeled" data. There are practical and real-world Python data analysis problems that need Pandas. Pandas offer thoroughly optimized and highly reliable performance. Only C or Python is used to write the backend code purely.

Some Panda Functions

• pd.read_csv, pd.read_excel

The first function to mention is read_csv or read_excel. The functions already provide a clear explanation. I utilized them to read data from CSV or Excel files into a pandas DataFrame format.

df = pd.read_csv("PlayerStat.csv")

The.read csv() function can also read.txt files using the following syntax:

data = pd.read_csv(file.txt, sep=" ")

• df.query()

A boolean expression can filter or query data. I can apply filtering criteria using the query function as a string. Compared to many other procedures, it offers more freedom.

df.query("A > 4")

Only rows where A is greater than four will be returned.

• df.iloc()

I passed the rows and column indices as parameters to this function, which returns the appropriate subset of the DataFrame.

• df[‘’].dtypes

Another highly fundamental and popular function. We must know the data types of the variables before beginning any analysis, visualization, or predictive modeling. Using this technique, you can obtain the data types for every column.

df.dtypes

Panda vs Vaex

Vaex Python is an alternative to the Pandas library that uses Out of Core Dataframe to compute large amounts of data more quickly. To view and study large tabular datasets, Vaex is a high-performance Python module for lazy Out-of-Core DataFrames (comparable to Pandas). We may calculate more than a billion rows using simple statistics every second. It enables a variety of visualizations that will allow considerable data exploration that is interactive.

TensorFlow

TensorFlow is a Python library for swift numerical computing created and released by Google. Tensorflow uses language and function names that differ somewhat from Theano, which can make switching from Theano more complicated than it has to be. However, the entire computing graphs in Tensorflow operate similarly to those in Theano, with the same advantages and disadvantages. Even while the modifications to the computation graph have a significant impact on performance, Tensorflow's eval function only makes it slightly easier to observe the intermediate state. Tensorflow is a preferred deep learning technology compared to Theano and Caffe from a few years ago.

TensorFlow Built-in Functions

• tf.zeros_like

The output of this function is a tensor with the same type and shape as the input tensor but with a value of zero.

tensor = tf.constant( I[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6]])

tf.zeros_like( tensor) # [ [0, 0, 0], [0, 0,0]

When creating a black image from an input image, this function could be helpful. Use tf.zeros if you wish to define the form directly. If you prefer to initialize one rather than zero, use tf.ones_like.

• tfpad

Adds the specified padding around it with a constant value to increase the dimension of a tensor.

• tf.enable_eager_execution

This helps you while you run the TensorFlow applications. When using eager execution, you do not need to construct and run a graph in a session. Here is more information regarding eager execution.

"Eager execution" must be the first statement after importing TensorFlow.

TensorFlow vs PyTorch

Facebook supports torch's Python implementation, Pytorch. It competes with the aforementioned technologies by providing just-in-time graph compilation, which makes the Pytorch code more compatible with the surrounding Python by not treating graphs as distinct and opaque objects. Instead, there are many flexible techniques to construct together tensor computations on the fly. It performs well. It has strong multi-GPU capability, much like Tensorflow; however, Tensorflow still prevails for more substantial distributed systems. While Pytorch's API is well-documented, Tensorflow or Keras are more polished. However, Pytorch triumphs in flexibility and usability without compromising performance, and it undoubtedly compels Tensorflow to rethink and adjust. Pytorch has recently seriously challenged Tensorflow, prompting the Google team to adapt.

Keras

Keras is an open-source software library that provides a Python interface for artificial neural networks. Since Keras is nominally independent of the engine, we can theoretically reuse even Keras code if the engine needs to be changed for performance or other factors. Its drawback is that you typically need to employ Tensorflow or Theano below the Keras layer anytime you wish to create very novel or specialized architectures. This primarily occurs when you need to employ sophisticated NumPy indexing, which corresponds to gather/scatter in Tensorflow and set/inc subtensor in Theano.

Keras Functions

• Evaluation and Prediction

Both evaluate() and predict() are available in Keras. These techniques can make use of the NumPy dataset. I completed the evaluation of the outcome when the data have been tested. I employed these techniques to assess our models.

• Layers in Keras

There are many techniques in each Keras layer. These layers help build, configure, and train data. The dense layer helps with operation implementation. I flattened the input using flat. Dropout enables input dropout. I can reshape the output using the Reshape tool. I started a Keras tensor using input.

• You can obtain the Output of an Intermediate Layer.

A reasonably simple library is Keras. It makes it possible to get the output from a layer's intermediate. You may easily add a new layer to an existing one to help you get the output in the intermediate.

Theano

Theano is a Python library and optimizing a compiler for manipulating and evaluating mathematical expressions, particularly matrix-valued ones. Being the oldest and most established offers advantages and disadvantages for Theano. Most user-requested features have been added because it is an older version. However, some of these implementations are a little too complex and challenging to use because there wasn't a prior example to follow. The documentation is passable yet ambiguous. Since there is no easy method to check intermediate computations, it can be very challenging to get a complex project to function appropriately in Theano. They typically carry debugging out using debuggers or by looking at computation graphs.

Theano Function

• Declaring Variables

I declare a decimal scalar variable with the dscalar method. When the statement below is run, it adds a variable called C to your program's code.

C = tensor.dscalar()

• Defining Theano Function

The function accepts two arguments, the first of which is an input and the second of which is the function's output. According to the declaration below, the first parameter is an array of the two items C and D. A result is a scalar unit designated as E.

f = theano.function([C,D], E)

Conclusion

I have seen a highly skilled Python programmer swiftly pick up the subtleties of a new library and understand how to use it. However, whether as a beginner, intermediate, or expert, choosing a programming language or, on this occasion, a library over another highly depends on your project’s goals and needs. If you are a data science person, check out Einblick. Their data workflows support python code.