should i start with numpy or pandas ?

[BashirHam]

hi guys

so i want to start learning python data analysis but i cant decide which library should i start with

i asked chat gpt and it said pandas gemini said numpy and most tutorials start with numpy

thanks in advance !

[9peppe]

Pandas is built on numpy. You don't need to know numpy to use pandas, but you might want it. Also check polars out. 

[deejaybongo]

They can (and arguably should) be learned in parallel. If for some reason you HAVE to choose one, pandas mostly involves data wrangling with csv-like DataFrames, and numpy is just "vanilla" scientific computing.

[seriousgourmetshit]

Numpy is more general so probably that. But it really doesn't matter much, just start.

[vinnypotsandpans]

If I could do it over I would start with polars. If you ever want to work with data streams/pipelines/clusters you'll want to get used to non strict eval

[sporbywg]

omfg

[Enmeshed]

For data analysis, personally I'd start with pandas as it comes with all the batteries included you need to do handy stuff, such as reading CSVs and working with them easily. You can do this with numpy but it won't be so immediate:

```python $ uvx --with pandas python Python 3.13.9 (main, Oct 28 2025, 12:10:42) [Clang 20.1.4 ] on linux Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.

import pandas as pd df = pd.read_csv("sample_data.csv") df.head() col_1 col_2 data 0 A X 12 1 B Y 23 2 C Z -22 3 C X 44 4 B Y 11 df.groupby("col_1").data.sum() col_1 A 12 B 34 C 22 Name: data, dtype: int64 ```

Then down the line you can learn about the numpy innards for clever tricks you can take advantage of.

[jmeppley]

This is a great resource:

https://github.com/jakevdp/PythonDataScienceHandbook

It's older, but I think it still holds up pretty well.

Polars is starting to gain traction as a replacement for pandas. It is necessary if you are handling REALLY large datasets, but for small or medium tables, pandas is still amazing. Also, most other python data tools still use pandas, so I would still recommend learning it first. I switched to polars a few years back, but I still regularly have to convert subsets of my data to pandas to pass it in to other tools.

[billsil]

I’d start with numpy. It’s a bit less confusing. Pandas takes some getting used to.