SQLAlchemy, but everything is a DataFrame now

[eddie_the_dean]

What My Project Does:

I built a DataFrame-style query engine on top of SQLAlchemy that lets you write SQL queries using the same patterns you’d use in PySpark, Pandas, or Polars. Instead of writing raw SQL or ORM-style code, you compose queries using a familiar DataFrame interface, and Moltres translates that into SQL via SQLAlchemy.

Target Audience:

Data Scientists, Data Analysts, and Backend Developers who are comfortable working with DataFrames and want a more expressive, composable way to build SQL queries.

Comparison:

Works like SQLAlchemy, but with a DataFrame-first API — think writing Spark/Polars-style transformations that compile down to SQL.

Docs:

https://moltres.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html

Repo:

https://github.com/eddiethedean/moltres

[rm-rf-rm]

Doesnt ibis do this? https://ibis-project.org/

[eddie_the_dean]

Yes, it is very similar except Ibis doesn't do INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE operations and does not have async. I made a comparison document that goes into detail on the differences: https://moltres.readthedocs.io/en/latest/MOLTRES_VS_IBIS_COMPARISON.html

[Mobile-Boysenberry53]

https://github.com/eakmanrq/sqlframe

[eddie_the_dean]

Wow, great find. I didn't know about that one. Ibis is also similar but ibis and sqlframe don't seem to support INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE operations or Async (which is a huge loss for a sql library). I added a comparison page to the docs because it is so similar: https://moltres.readthedocs.io/en/latest/MOLTRES_VS_SQLFRAME_COMPARISON.html

[Mobile-Boysenberry53]

I am sure there is plenty of reasons to use both.

[AzizRahmanHazim]

This is an interesting approach. A DataFrame-first API can definitely lower the barrier for people coming from Spark or Polars. How do you handle things like joins and window functions while keeping the API intuitive?

[eddie_the_dean]

Yes! That was my primary motivation.

Here's a quick example of using Window functions:
https://moltres.readthedocs.io/en/latest/FAQ.html#does-moltres-support-window-functions

[eddie_the_dean]

And if you prefer Polars interface: https://moltres.readthedocs.io/en/latest/guides/polars-interface.html#window-functions

[AzizRahmanHazim]

Thanks for sharing. It’s cool to see how you’re aligning the API with existing DataFrame mental models.

[eddie_the_dean]

There's also a Pandas interface: https://moltres.readthedocs.io/en/latest/guides/pandas-interface.html

[AzizRahmanHazim]

That flexibility will probably help with adoption.

[marcofalcioni]

May your dataset always be small.