The Real Python Podcast

Harnessing the Power of Python Polars

Aug 8, 2025
Jeroen Janssens and Thijs Nieuwdorp, authors of 'Python Polars: The Definitive Guide', share their journey with Polars, a powerful DataFrame library for Python. They discuss its advantages over pandas, the significant speed improvements they've encountered, and the transition from R to Python. The duo elaborates on the differences between lazy and eager APIs, offering practical tips for users. Their insights on collaborative writing highlight the importance of community in technical literature and learning, making this a fascinating listen for data enthusiasts.
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ANECDOTE

Polars Began At Xomnia

  • Jeroen and Thijs discovered Polars while working at Xomnia in Amsterdam.
  • They describe Xomnia as the birthplace where Polars first reached production use.
ANECDOTE

Rewriting Cut 700GB Memory Use

  • Their original pipeline used over 700 gigabytes on a single machine and was prohibitively expensive.
  • Rewriting with Polars reduced memory needs and made weekly runs feasible within budget.
ANECDOTE

Shockingly Fast Real-World Speedup

  • Thijs benchmarked a simple transformation and saw Pandas take about 30 seconds while Polars took 1.2 seconds.
  • That dramatic result convinced their team Polars offered real, practical speed gains.
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