PySpark
PySpark is the Python API for Apache Spark, an open-source distributed computing framework used for large-scale data processing. It allows developers to write Spark applications using Python, combining Spark's speed and scalability with Python's simplicity and rich ecosystem. PySpark supports various data processing tasks, including batch processing, real-time streaming, machine learning, and graph processing.
Developers should learn PySpark when working with big data that exceeds the capabilities of single-machine tools like pandas, as it enables distributed processing across clusters for faster performance. It is ideal for use cases such as ETL pipelines, data analytics, and machine learning on massive datasets, commonly used in industries like finance, e-commerce, and healthcare. PySpark is particularly valuable because it leverages Python's ease of use while providing the power of Spark's in-memory computing and fault tolerance.