What is Kedro
Tags: kedro, python, datascience
Published: 2021-08-19 20:38:04

---
title: What is Kedro
published: true
series: kedro
tags:
- kedro
- python
- datascience
canonical_url: https://waylonwalker.com/what-is-kedro/
cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/f4glia40956z44ytg2fo.png
---

Kedro is an unopinionated Data Engineering framework that comes with a somewhat opinionated template. It gives the user a way to build pipelines that automatically take care of io through the use of abstract `DataSets` that the user specifies through `Catalog` entries.  These `Catalog` entries are loaded,ran through a function, and saved by `Nodes`.  The order that these `Nodes` are executed are determined by the `Pipeline`, which is a  **DAG**.  It's the `runner`'s job to manage the execution of the `Nodes`.

{% youtube Wf4rnFsaFFU %}

---

https://waylonwalker.com/what-is-kedro-1/

> This is an updated version of my original what-is-kedro article

---


## Hot Take

If you are doing a series of operations to data with python, especially if you are using something as supported as pandas, you should be using a framework that gives you a pipeline as a DAG and abstracts io.

## Orchestrators

Like I said, `kedro` is unopinionated it does determine where or how your data should be ran.  The kedro team does support the following **Orchestrators** with very little add on to the base template.

* [Argo Workflows](https://kedro.readthedocs.io/en/stable/10_deployment/04_argo.html)
* [Prefect](https://kedro.readthedocs.io/en/stable/10_deployment/05_prefect.html)
* [Kubeflow Workflows](https://kedro.readthedocs.io/en/stable/10_deployment/06_kubeflow.html)
* [AWS Batch](https://kedro.readthedocs.io/en/stable/10_deployment/07_aws_batch.html)
* [Databricks](https://kedro.readthedocs.io/en/stable/10_deployment/08_databricks.html)

## DataSets

Did I say kedro is unopionated?  Datasets are what allow kedro too be so flexible accross a number of different python objects.  Any python object can be made into a kedro dataset.  Kedro comes out of the box with **many** purpose built `DataSets` like storing pandas DataFrames to parquet, csv, or a sql table.  If kedro does not come with support for the type of python objects you work with don't worry, you can for the closest option they support and build your own. Or if you do not want to build your own, you can use a `PickleDataSet` for anything.


## Catalog

You will not often be creating your own datasets, most of what you need would already be taken care of by the kedro framework.  What you will need to do is to use the existing `DataSets` to build your data catalog.

Kedro takes care of all of the file io for you, you simply need to use the catalog to tell kedro what type of DataSet to use and any extra information that `DataSet` needs.  Much of the time this is simply a filepath.

Typically the catalog is specified in yaml format.  If you are not familiar with yaml, I suggest [learnxinyminutes.com/docs/yaml/](https://learnxinyminutes.com/docs/yaml/) as a resource of examples.

``` yaml
test:
  type: pandas.CSVDataSet
  filepath: s3://your_bucket/test.csv #
```

> Here is the most basic yaml catalog entry taken from the kedro [docs](https://kedro.readthedocs.io/en/stable/05_data/01_data_catalog.html?highlight=catalog)

``` yaml
cars:
  type: pandas.CSVDataSet
  filepath: data/01_raw/company/cars.csv
    sep: ','
    load_args:
  save_args:
    index: False
    date_format: '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M'
    decimal: .
```

> Here is a bit more complex example that takes in `load_args` and `save_args`
> [docs](https://kedro.readthedocs.io/en/stable/05_data/01_data_catalog.html?highlight=catalog)


## Nodes

Nodes are a very core part of kedro to build the **DAG**.  These nodes are what provides the definition of what catalog entries, get passed into which function, and output to another catalog entry.  

``` python
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np

def clean_data(cars: pd.DataFrame,
               boats: pd.DataFrame) -> Dict[str, pd.DataFrame]:
    return dict(cars_df=cars.dropna(), boats_df=boats.dropna())

def halve_dataframe(data: pd.DataFrame) -> List[pd.DataFrame]:
    return np.array_split(data, 2)

nodes = [
    node(clean_data,
         inputs=['cars2017', 'boats2017'],
         outputs=dict(cars_df='clean_cars2017',
                      boats_df='clean_boats2017')),
    node(halve_dataframe,
         'clean_cars2017',
         ['train_cars2017', 'test_cars2017']),
    node(halve_dataframe,
         dict(data='clean_boats2017'),
         ['train_boats2017', 'test_boats2017'])
]
```

> Here is an example of three nodes taken from their
> [docs](https://kedro.readthedocs.io/en/stable/kedro.pipeline.node.html?highlight=node)

## Pipeline

The kedro `Pipeline`, is a DAG (Directed Acyclic Graph).  It is a graph object that flows in one direction.  You can slice into the pipeline using a few built in graph method `to_nodes`, `from_nodes`, `to_outputs`, and `from_inputs`.  You can chain up these method calls since each one returns a new `Pipeline` object. You can also ask a pipline for its edges with `inputs`, and `outputs`.  You can also list every dataset along the way with `all_inputs` or `all_outputs`.
Lastly you can convert it back into a list of nodes with 
  `nodes`.

``` python
from kedro.pipeline import Pipeline, node

# using our nodes from last tim
Pipeline(nodes)
```

## Runner

The runner is the bridge between kedro and the orchestrators.  The kedro team provides some basic runners for running pipelines locally, built right into the framework, but adding on new runners for different orchestrators is done through the use of adding in a new runner to your project.

## Hooks

Kedro allows you to hook into a number of lifecycle methods through the use of the `pluggy` framework.  Yes the one that `pytest` is built on.  There are a number of different lifecycle methods that allow us to hook in around where kedro is running such as `before_pipeline_run` or 
 after_catalog_loaded`.

## Links

* [Node](https://kedro.readthedocs.io/en/stable/kedro.pipeline.node.html)
* [Pipeline](https://kedro.readthedocs.io/en/stable/kedro.pipeline.Pipeline.html#kedro.pipeline.Pipeline)
* [Run a pipeline](https://kedro.readthedocs.io/en/stable/06_nodes_and_pipelines/04_run_a_pipeline.html)
* [create pipelines](https://kedro.readthedocs.io/en/stable/03_tutorial/04_create_pipelines.html)
* [kedro deployment](https://kedro.readthedocs.io/en/stable/10_deployment/01_deployment_guide.html)