Importing Libraries with Aliases in Python

In Python, it's common practice to import libraries using aliases — short names that make code easier to write and read. This is especially common in data science and analytics.

Example

import pandas as pd
import seaborn as sns

• pandas is imported as pd
• seaborn is imported as sns

These aliases are not mandatory but are standard practice in the Python community. It gives the following advantages:

• Shorter code: Instead of pandas.DataFrame() or seaborn.load_dataset(), you can write pd.DataFrame() or sns.load_dataset().
• Better readability: pd, sns, np, and plt are instantly recognisable to anyone familiar with Python for data analysis.
• Less typing: Aliases reduce repetition when using library functions many times.

Common Aliases

Without an Alias

You can still import the full library:

import seaborn
df = seaborn.load_dataset("tips")

But this is verbose and non-idiomatic for most data analysis work.