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PySpark Code Quality Checklist
Ensuring high-quality PySpark code is essential for maintaining efficiency, scalability,
and maintainability in big data applications. Below is a detailed checklist to follow when
writing and optimizing PySpark scripts:
1. Use Meaningful Variable and Function Names
Choose descriptive names that convey the purpose of variables and functions.
Avoid single-letter variables except in loop counters.
Example: Use customer_data instead of df1.
2. Write Modular Code with Reusable Functions
Break down your code into smaller, reusable functions.
Use functions to avoid redundancy and improve maintainability.
Example: Instead of repeating transformations, define a function and call it
whenever needed.
3. Avoid Hardcoding; Use Config Files or Parameters
Store parameters like file paths, column names, and thresholds in a config file.
Use environment variables when needed for flexibility.
4. Minimize Actions (e.g., collect) on Large Datasets
Calling .collect() on large datasets can lead to memory overload.
Use .show(n), .limit(n), or .take(n) instead.
5. Use Cache/Persist Only When Necessary
Caching can improve performance but may consume unnecessary memory.
Use .cache() or .persist() only if the DataFrame is reused multiple times.
6. Repartition or Coalesce for Optimal Partitioning
Adjust partitioning based on the dataset size.
Use .repartition(n) for large-scale shuffling.
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Use .coalesce(n) to reduce partitions efficiently.
7. Use Select and Filter to Minimize Data Movement
Avoid using df.rdd.map unnecessarily.
Instead of selecting all columns (df.select("*")), select only required columns to
minimize data transfer.
8. Leverage Broadcast Joins for Small Datasets
When joining a large and small dataset, use broadcast(df) for improved
performance.
Example:
from pyspark.sql.functions import broadcast
df_large.join(broadcast(df_small), "id")
9. Use Spark SQL for Complex Transformations
SQL-style transformations are optimized in Spark’s Catalyst optimizer.
Prefer writing transformations using Spark SQL instead of RDD operations.
10. Handle Null Values & Schema Mismatches
Use .fillna(), .dropna(), or .na.replace() to handle missing values.
Validate schema using df.schema before processing.
11. Enable Logging for Debugging and Monitoring
Use Python’s logging module instead of print statements.
Configure logs to store necessary information for debugging.
12. Optimize Shuffling with Partitioning
Reduce unnecessary shuffling in operations like groupBy, join, or aggregate
functions.
Use df.repartition() or df.coalesce() wisely.
13. Validate Data Types and Schemas Before Processing
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Explicitly define schema using StructType and StructField.
Convert data types if required using .cast().
14. Avoid Wide Transformations
Wide transformations (e.g., groupBy, join, sortBy) cause shuffling, which is
expensive.
Try to use narrow transformations (e.g., map, filter) whenever possible.
15. Use Efficient Data Formats like Parquet or ORC
Parquet and ORC are columnar storage formats that provide better compression
and query performance.
Avoid CSV for large datasets due to high parsing overhead.
16. Compress Output Data to Save Storage
Use Snappy or Gzip compression when saving output data.
Example:
df.write.parquet("output", compression="snappy")
17. Test with Sample Datasets Before Scaling
Test code with a small subset of data before running on the full dataset.
Use .sample() to extract a portion of the dataset for testing.
18. Implement Exception Handling Using Try-Except
Wrap transformations and actions in try-except blocks to handle errors gracefully.
Example:
try:
df = spark.read.parquet("data.parquet")
except Exception as e:
print(f"Error reading file: {e}")
19. Use Comments and Docstrings for Readability
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Add inline comments to explain complex logic.
Use docstrings for functions and modules.
Example:
def clean_data(df):
"""Removes null values and duplicates from DataFrame."""
return df.dropna().dropDuplicates()
20. Monitor Execution Using Spark UI for Bottlenecks
Use the Spark Web UI (http://localhost:4040) to analyze execution plans and
optimize performance.
Identify slow tasks, excessive shuffling, or memory issues.
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