Ibis dataframe library
Shares rank 7 of 14 Python libraries by recommenders
Recommended as a dataframe API over DuckDB and Polars backends; critics say the docs are hard to use and some transformations fail.
Recommended as a dataframe API over DuckDB and Polars backends; critics say the docs are hard to use and some transformations fail.
9 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 78%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Runs well on DuckDB backend
“migrated to using ibis with a duckdb backend to smooth out the memory spikes”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “Automate Excel with Python: From manual grind to one-click workflow” “I highly recommend using it as a backend for the Ibis dataframe library”
Comment from 17 Jan 2026 in “Why DuckDB is my first choice for data processing” “a similar dplyr-like API on duckdb I recommand the excellent”
Comment from 13 Sep 2026 in “Pandas Should Go Extinct” - Comment from 18 Mar 2026 in “Pandas Exercises for Data Analysis (Interactive)”
One API across multiple backends
“It's a dataframe API that translates calls to it into various backends, including Polars and DuckDB.”
Comment from 17 Jan 2026 in “Why DuckDB is my first choice for data processing” “I highly recommend using it as a backend for the Ibis dataframe library”
Comment from 17 Jan 2026 in “Why DuckDB is my first choice for data processing”
Other Python libraries people recommend
The four most recommended other Python libraries, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
See all 14 Python libraries, rankedWhat people said
All 9 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“a similar dplyr-like API on duckdb I recommand the excellent”
“migrated to using ibis with a duckdb backend to smooth out the memory spikes”
“Ibis couldnt handle a transformation and had to move back into Polars or DuckDB to do.”
“Worked well for these backends”
“I think it's a cool piece of tech that deserves more attention.”
“the way they organize their docs is very difficult to use”
“It's a dataframe API that translates calls to it into various backends, including Polars and DuckDB.”
“I highly recommend using it as a backend for the Ibis dataframe library”
“Polars+pyarrow+ibis have replaced most of my pandas usage.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.