Getting Started

On this page you will find all the information to get started with pastastore.

Getting Python

To install pastastore, a working version of Python 3.7 or higher has to be installed on your computer. We recommend using the Anaconda Distribution of Python.

Installing pastastore

Install the module by typing:

pip install pastastore

_For installing in development mode, clone the repository and install by typing pip install -e . from the module root directory._

Using pastastore

Start Python and import the module:

import pastastore as pst
conn = pst.DictConnector("my_connector")
store = pst.PastaStore(conn)

See the Examples section for some quick examples on how to get started.

External dependencies

This module has several external optional dependencies. These are required for storing time series and models in external databases using compression. Without these, only the in-memory option (DictConnector) and storing data on disk without compression (PasConnector) are available, which should be good enough for most users.

If you do need more performance of compression, both the PystoreConnector and ArcticConnector are dependent on external software.

  • Using Pystore requires Snappy:

    • Snappy is a fast and efficient compression/decompression library from Google. You’ll need to install Snappy on your system before installing PyStore. See links for installation instructions here: https://github.com/ranaroussi/pystore#dependencies

    • After installing Snappy, install pystore by typing pip install pystore in a terminal.

  • Using Arctic requires MongoDB:

    • The recommended method of obtaining MongoDB is using Docker. The instructions for this are shown below.

    • Alternatively, get MongoDB by installing the Community edition (Windows, MacOS).

    • Additionally, install arctic by typing pip install git+https://github.com/man-group/arctic.git in a terminal. Note that the current version of arctic is not compatible with pandas>1.1, and a version will have to be installed that fixes that. Install arctic from a Pull Request that fixes this particular issue to bypass this problem. If you need help, feel free to get in touch.

Running MongoDB from docker

Follow these steps to get the MongoDB docker container up and running using docker-compose:

  1. Install Docker (i.e. Docker Desktop)

  2. Open a terminal and navigate to ./dockerfiles.

  3. Run docker-compose up -d to start the docker container running MongoDB. The -d flag runs the container in the background. This command uses the docker-compose.yml file by default.

  4. View your running containers with docker ps -a.

  5. If you are done and wish to stop the container, run docker-compose stop in a terminal.