My friend and colleague, Yann Debray, has published a book called “MATLAB with Python“. Yann’s book presents a unique perspective on integrating MATLAB and Python in scientific computing, challenging the common “MATLAB vs. Python” mindset. Aimed at engineers and scientists, the book begins with an introduction that includes a brief history of scientific computing, insights about the author, and a comparison between open-source and commercial software. It sets the stage for a comprehensive guide on how MATLAB and Python can work together, emphasizing their complementary strengths.
The core of the book is structured around practical applications that show you how and why you would want to use MATLAB and Python, and Python with MATLAB. Executing Python code inside of MATLAB, calling Python community packages, and debugging Python code that MATLAB calls are examples of advanced topics that Yann covers and gives you a sense of how easy it is to extract the value from both platforms. The book also explores the use of Python AI libraries from MATLAB, highlighting applications with Scikit-learn and TensorFlow. Conversely, it guides readers on using the MATLAB Engine API for Python, showcasing how MATLAB’s powerful tools can facilitate AI development. In a recent update to the GitHub repo that backs the book, Yann offers resources on accessing Python packages in MATLAB Online.
I found the book practical and easy to follow. My favorite part is that the book itself is open-source. The full prose and source code are stored on a living GitHub repo that Yann has been keeping up to date as things change with MATLAB and Python. Since it is on GitHub, he can link the book to MATLAB Online, where anyone can follow along and try the examples. I specifically like the Call TensorFlow from MATLAB example in the Call Python AI Libraries from MATLAB chapter.
If you are into scientific computing and want to go to the next level, I recommend that you check out the book. You can get into it right now by reading and using the examples on the GitHub repo or getting a physical copy from Amazon so that you can enjoy it at your leisure. Maybe read it with some turkey and cranberry sauce.
Bonus Video
If you want to hear and see Yann talk about Python and MATLAB in a video, you are in luck. Yann was a guest on the MATLAB Coders YouTube channel and got into how to effectively use Python and MATLAB together. I like to think that this presentation was the beginning of Yann’s dream to write a book.