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The fundamental package for scientific computing with Python.
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SciPy library main repository
Quick Overview
Breeze is a numerical processing library for Scala. It aims to provide fast and efficient implementations of common mathematical operations, including linear algebra, optimization, and machine learning algorithms. Breeze is designed to be both powerful and user-friendly, making it suitable for scientific computing and data analysis tasks in Scala.
Pros
- Comprehensive set of mathematical and statistical functions
- High-performance implementations optimized for speed
- Seamless integration with Scala's type system and functional programming paradigms
- Active community and ongoing development
Cons
- Steeper learning curve compared to some Python alternatives (e.g., NumPy)
- Documentation can be sparse or outdated in some areas
- Limited support for distributed computing compared to libraries like Apache Spark
Code Examples
- Creating and manipulating vectors:
import breeze.linalg._
val v1 = DenseVector(1.0, 2.0, 3.0)
val v2 = DenseVector(4.0, 5.0, 6.0)
val result = v1 + v2
println(result) // DenseVector(5.0, 7.0, 9.0)
- Performing matrix operations:
import breeze.linalg._
val m1 = DenseMatrix((1.0, 2.0), (3.0, 4.0))
val m2 = DenseMatrix((5.0, 6.0), (7.0, 8.0))
val result = m1 * m2
println(result)
// DenseMatrix((19.0, 22.0),
// (43.0, 50.0))
- Basic statistical operations:
import breeze.stats._
val data = DenseVector(1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0)
val mean = mean(data)
val stdDev = stddev(data)
println(s"Mean: $mean, Standard Deviation: $stdDev")
// Mean: 3.0, Standard Deviation: 1.4142135623730951
Getting Started
To use Breeze in your Scala project, add the following dependency to your build.sbt
file:
libraryDependencies += "org.scalanlp" %% "breeze" % "2.1.0"
For BLAS and LAPACK native implementations, also include:
libraryDependencies += "org.scalanlp" %% "breeze-natives" % "2.1.0"
Then, import the necessary modules in your Scala code:
import breeze.linalg._
import breeze.stats._
import breeze.optimize._
You can now start using Breeze's functions and data structures in your Scala applications.
Competitor Comparisons
Apache Spark - A unified analytics engine for large-scale data processing
Pros of Spark
- Distributed computing capabilities for large-scale data processing
- Supports multiple programming languages (Scala, Java, Python, R)
- Comprehensive ecosystem with various libraries for different data tasks
Cons of Spark
- Steeper learning curve and more complex setup
- Higher resource requirements for cluster deployment
- Overkill for smaller datasets or simpler computations
Code Comparison
Breeze (Linear Algebra):
import breeze.linalg._
val x = DenseVector(1.0, 2.0, 3.0)
val y = x * 2.0
Spark (Distributed Computation):
import org.apache.spark.sql.SparkSession
val spark = SparkSession.builder().getOrCreate()
val data = spark.range(1, 1000000)
val result = data.reduce(_ + _)
Summary
Breeze is a lightweight numerical processing library for Scala, focusing on linear algebra and statistics. It's suitable for local computations and smaller datasets. Spark, on the other hand, is a distributed computing framework designed for big data processing across clusters. While Spark offers more scalability and a broader range of applications, Breeze provides a simpler interface for numerical operations on a single machine.
Statistical Machine Intelligence & Learning Engine
Pros of Smile
- Written in Java, offering better performance and wider ecosystem compatibility
- More comprehensive, covering a broader range of machine learning algorithms and statistical methods
- Active development with frequent updates and contributions
Cons of Smile
- Less idiomatic for Scala developers compared to Breeze
- May have a steeper learning curve for those more familiar with Scala's functional programming paradigms
- Potentially less optimized for Scala-specific use cases
Code Comparison
Breeze (Matrix multiplication):
import breeze.linalg._
val A = DenseMatrix((1.0, 2.0), (3.0, 4.0))
val B = DenseMatrix((5.0, 6.0), (7.0, 8.0))
val C = A * B
Smile (Matrix multiplication):
import smile.math.matrix.Matrix;
Matrix A = new Matrix(new double[][]{{1, 2}, {3, 4}});
Matrix B = new Matrix(new double[][]{{5, 6}, {7, 8}});
Matrix C = A.mm(B);
Both libraries offer similar functionality for matrix operations, but Breeze's syntax is more concise and Scala-like, while Smile uses a more traditional object-oriented approach.
The Julia Programming Language
Pros of Julia
- Designed for high-performance scientific computing and numerical analysis
- Offers a more comprehensive ecosystem for scientific computing and data science
- Supports multiple dispatch, allowing for more flexible and expressive code
Cons of Julia
- Longer compilation times compared to Breeze's JVM-based approach
- Smaller community and fewer libraries compared to Scala's ecosystem
- Steeper learning curve for developers coming from traditional object-oriented languages
Code Comparison
Julia:
using LinearAlgebra
A = [1 2; 3 4]
b = [5, 6]
x = A \ b
Breeze:
import breeze.linalg._
val A = DenseMatrix((1.0, 2.0), (3.0, 4.0))
val b = DenseVector(5.0, 6.0)
val x = A \ b
Both examples solve a linear system Ax = b, but Julia's syntax is more concise and closer to mathematical notation. Breeze requires explicit type declarations and uses a more object-oriented approach.
The fundamental package for scientific computing with Python.
Pros of NumPy
- Larger community and ecosystem, with extensive documentation and third-party library support
- Highly optimized C implementation for faster numerical computations
- More mature and stable, with a longer development history
Cons of NumPy
- Limited to Python programming language
- Less support for advanced linear algebra operations compared to Breeze
- Lacks some of the functional programming features found in Scala and Breeze
Code Comparison
NumPy:
import numpy as np
a = np.array([1, 2, 3])
b = np.array([4, 5, 6])
c = np.dot(a, b)
Breeze:
import breeze.linalg._
val a = DenseVector(1, 2, 3)
val b = DenseVector(4, 5, 6)
val c = a dot b
Summary
NumPy is a widely-used numerical computing library for Python, offering excellent performance and a vast ecosystem. Breeze, on the other hand, is a numerical processing library for Scala, providing functional programming features and more advanced linear algebra operations. While NumPy has a larger community and more extensive documentation, Breeze leverages Scala's type system and offers a more concise syntax for certain operations. The choice between the two depends on the preferred programming language and specific project requirements.
scikit-learn: machine learning in Python
Pros of scikit-learn
- Extensive documentation and community support
- Wide range of machine learning algorithms and tools
- Seamless integration with other Python scientific libraries
Cons of scikit-learn
- Limited support for deep learning and neural networks
- Performance can be slower compared to specialized libraries
- Primarily designed for batch learning, less suitable for online learning
Code Comparison
scikit-learn:
from sklearn.ensemble import RandomForestClassifier
from sklearn.datasets import make_classification
X, y = make_classification(n_samples=1000, n_features=4)
clf = RandomForestClassifier(n_estimators=100)
clf.fit(X, y)
Breeze:
import breeze.linalg._
import breeze.stats.distributions._
val X = DenseMatrix.rand(1000, 4)
val y = DenseVector.rand(1000)
// Note: Breeze doesn't have built-in machine learning algorithms
Breeze is a numerical processing library for Scala, focusing on linear algebra and statistics. It provides efficient implementations of mathematical operations but lacks built-in machine learning algorithms. scikit-learn, on the other hand, is a comprehensive machine learning library for Python, offering a wide range of algorithms and tools for data analysis and modeling.
SciPy library main repository
Pros of SciPy
- Larger and more mature ecosystem with extensive documentation
- Broader range of scientific computing functions and algorithms
- Strong integration with other Python scientific libraries (NumPy, Matplotlib, etc.)
Cons of SciPy
- Can be slower for certain operations compared to compiled languages
- Steeper learning curve for beginners due to its extensive feature set
- Dependency management can be complex in some environments
Code Comparison
SciPy example (linear algebra operation):
import numpy as np
from scipy import linalg
A = np.array([[1, 2], [3, 4]])
b = np.array([5, 6])
x = linalg.solve(A, b)
Breeze example (similar linear algebra operation):
import breeze.linalg._
val A = DenseMatrix((1.0, 2.0), (3.0, 4.0))
val b = DenseVector(5.0, 6.0)
val x = solve(A, b)
Both libraries offer similar functionality for scientific computing, but SciPy provides a more comprehensive set of tools within the Python ecosystem, while Breeze focuses on high-performance numerical processing for Scala.
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Breeze is mostly retired at this point.
I (@dlwh) will review bug fix PRs and sometimes answer questions, but that's about all I can offer. If someone wants to take of the reins I'd be happy to hand it off.
Breeze
Breeze is a library for numerical processing. It aims to be generic, clean, and powerful without sacrificing (much) efficiency.
This is the 2.x branch. The 1.x branch is 1.x
.
The latest release is 2.1.0, which is cross-built against Scala 3.1, 2.12, and 2.13.
Documentation
- https://github.com/scalanlp/breeze/wiki/Quickstart
- https://github.com/scalanlp/breeze/wiki/Linear-Algebra-Cheat-Sheet
- Scaladoc (Scaladoc is typically horribly out of date, and not a good way to learn Breeze.)
- There is also the scala-breeze google group for general questions and discussion.
Using Breeze
Building it yourself
This project can be built with SBT 1.2+
SBT
For SBT, add these lines to your SBT project definition:
libraryDependencies ++= Seq(
// Last stable release
"org.scalanlp" %% "breeze" % "2.1.0",
// The visualization library is distributed separately as well.
// It depends on LGPL code
"org.scalanlp" %% "breeze-viz" % "2.1.0"
)
Previous versions of Breeze included a "breeze-natives" artifact that bundled various native libraries. As of Breeze 1.3, we now use a faster, more friendly-licensed library from @luhenry called simply "netlib". This library is now bundled by default.
Maven
Maven looks like this:
<dependency>
<groupId>org.scalanlp</groupId>
<artifactId>breeze_2.13</artifactId>
<version>2.1.0</version>
</dependency>
Other build tools
[http://mvnrepository.com/artifact/org.scalanlp/breeze_2.12/2.1.0] (as an example) is a great resource for finding other configuration examples for other build tools.
See documentation (linked above!) for more information on using Breeze.
History
Breeze is the merger of the ScalaNLP and Scalala projects, because one of the original maintainers is unable to continue development. The Scalala parts are largely rewritten.
(c) David Hall, 2009 -
Portions (c) Daniel Ramage, 2009 - 2011
Contributions from:
- Jason Zaugg (@retronym)
- Alexander Lehmann (@afwlehmann)
- Jonathan Merritt (@lancelet)
- Keith Stevens (@fozziethebeat)
- Jason Baldridge (@jasonbaldridge)
- Timothy Hunter (@tjhunter)
- Dave DeCaprio (@DaveDeCaprio)
- Daniel Duckworth (@duckworthd)
- Eric Christiansen (@emchristiansen)
- Marc Millstone (@splittingfield)
- MérŠLászló (@laci37)
- Alexey Noskov (@alno)
- Devon Bryant (@devonbryant)
- Kentaroh Takagaki (@ktakagaki)
- Sam Halliday (@fommil)
- Chris Stucchio (@stucchio)
- Xiangrui Meng (@mengxr)
- Gabriel Schubiner (@gabeos)
- Debasish Das (@debasish83)
- Julien Dumazert (@DumazertJulien)
- Matthias Langer (@bashimao)
- Mohamed Kafsi (@mou7)
- Max Thomas (@maxthomas)
- @qilab
- Weichen Xu (@WeichenXu123)
- Sergei Lebedev (@superbobry)
- Zac Blanco (@ZacBlanco)
Corporate (Code) Contributors:
- Semantic Machines (@semanticmachines)
- ContentSquare
- Big Data Analytics, Verizon Lab, Palo Alto
- crealytics GmbH, Berlin/Passau, Germany
And others (contact David Hall if you've contributed and aren't listed).
Common Issues
Segmentation Fault or Other Crashes on Linux
Netlib, the new low level BLAS library Breeze uses, in turn uses OpenBLAS by default on Linux, which has some quirky behavior w.r.t. threading. (Please see https://github.com/luhenry/netlib/issues/2). As work arounds:
- Use MKL, if possible
- Increase the size of the stack of Java threads with
-Xss10M
(set the Java threads' stack size to 10 Mbytes) - Make sure OpenBLAS doesn't use the parallel implementation by defining the environment variable
OPENBLAS_NUM_THREADS=1
- Compile a custom version of OpenBLAS that unconditionally define
USE_ALLOC_HEAP
at https://github.com/xianyi/OpenBLAS/blob/develop/lapack/getrf/getrf_parallel.c#L49
Top Related Projects
Apache Spark - A unified analytics engine for large-scale data processing
Statistical Machine Intelligence & Learning Engine
The Julia Programming Language
The fundamental package for scientific computing with Python.
scikit-learn: machine learning in Python
SciPy library main repository
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Try Visual Copilot