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Core Functions

This page documents the core functions available in fast-axolotl.

Module Info

__version__

The package version string.

import fast_axolotl
print(fast_axolotl.__version__)  # e.g., "0.1.12"

rust_available()

Check if the Rust extension is loaded and available.

fast_axolotl.rust_available() -> bool

Returns: True if Rust acceleration is available, False otherwise.

Example: 

if fast_axolotl.rust_available():
    print("Rust acceleration enabled")
else:
    print("Falling back to Python implementation")

Shimming Functions

install()

Install acceleration shims into the Axolotl namespace.

fast_axolotl.install() -> None

This function replaces Axolotl's Python implementations with Rust-accelerated versions. Call this before importing any Axolotl modules.

Example: 

import fast_axolotl
fast_axolotl.install()

# Now import axolotl - it will use accelerated functions
import axolotl

Notes:

  • Safe to call multiple times (idempotent)
  • Safe to call even if Axolotl is not installed
  • Must be called before importing Axolotl modules

uninstall()

Remove acceleration shims and restore original Axolotl implementations.

fast_axolotl.uninstall() -> None

Example: 

# Temporarily disable acceleration
fast_axolotl.uninstall()

# Run with original implementation
result = some_axolotl_function()

# Re-enable acceleration
fast_axolotl.install()

Format Detection

detect_format(path)

Detect the file format and compression of a data file.

fast_axolotl.detect_format(path: str) -> dict

Parameters:

Parameter Type Description
path str Path to the file to analyze

Returns: A dictionary with keys:

  • format: The detected format ("parquet", "arrow", "json", "jsonl", "csv", "text")
  • compression: The detected compression ("zstd", "gzip", None)

Example: 

info = fast_axolotl.detect_format("data/train.parquet.zst")
print(info)
# {'format': 'parquet', 'compression': 'zstd'}

info = fast_axolotl.detect_format("data/train.jsonl")
print(info)
# {'format': 'jsonl', 'compression': None}

list_supported_formats()

List all supported file formats.

fast_axolotl.list_supported_formats() -> list[str]

Returns: A list of supported format names.

Example: 

formats = fast_axolotl.list_supported_formats()
print(formats)
# ['parquet', 'arrow', 'feather', 'json', 'jsonl', 'csv', 'text']

Quick Reference

Function Description
rust_available() Check if Rust is loaded
install() Enable shimming
uninstall() Disable shimming
detect_format(path) Detect file format
list_supported_formats() List supported formats

See Also