ENH: Allow third-party packages to register IO engines

doc/source/development/extending.rst

@@ -489,6 +489,69 @@ registers the default "matplotlib" backend as follows.
 More information on how to implement a third-party plotting backend can be found at
 https://github.com/pandas-dev/pandas/blob/main/pandas/plotting/__init__.py#L1.
 
+.. _extending.io-engines:
+
+IO engines
+-----------
+
+pandas provides several IO connectors such as :func:`read_csv` or :meth:`DataFrame.to_parquet`, and many
+of those support multiple engines. For example, :func:`read_csv` supports the ``python``, ``c``
+and ``pyarrow`` engines, each with its advantages and disadvantages, making each more appropriate
+for certain use cases.
+
+Third-party package developers can implement engines for any of the pandas readers and writers.
+When a ``pandas.read_*`` function or ``DataFrame.to_*`` method are called with an ``engine="<name>"``
+that is not known to pandas, pandas will look into the entry points registered in the group
+``pandas.io_engine`` by the packages in the environment, and will call the corresponding method.
+
+An engine is a simple Python class which implements one or more of the pandas readers and writers
+as class methods:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    class EmptyDataEngine:
+        @classmethod
+        def read_json(cls, path_or_buf=None, **kwargs):
+            return pd.DataFrame()
+
+        @classmethod
+        def to_json(cls, path_or_buf=None, **kwargs):
+            with open(path_or_buf, "w") as f:
+                f.write()
+
+        @classmethod
+        def read_clipboard(cls, sep='\\s+', dtype_backend=None, **kwargs):
+            return pd.DataFrame()
+
+A single engine can support multiple readers and writers. When possible, it is a good practice for
+a reader to provide both a reader and writer for the supported formats. But it is possible to
+provide just one of them.
+
+The package implementing the engine needs to create an entry point for pandas to be able to discover
+it. This is done in ``pyproject.toml``:
+
+```toml
+[project.entry-points."pandas.io_engine"]
+empty = empty_data:EmptyDataEngine
+```
+
+The first line should always be the same, creating the entry point in the ``pandas.io_engine`` group.
+In the second line, ``empty`` is the name of the engine, and ``empty_data:EmptyDataEngine`` is where
+to find the engine class in the package (``empty_data`` is the module name in this case).
+
+If a user have the package of the example installed, them it would be possible to use:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    pd.read_json("myfile.json", engine="empty")
+
+When pandas detects that no ``empty`` engine exists for the ``read_json`` reader in pandas, will
+look at the entry points, will find the ``EmptyDataEngine`` engine, and will call the ``read_json``
+method on it with the arguments provided by the user (except the ``engine`` parameter).
+
+To avoid conflicts in the names of engines, we keep an "IO engines" section in our
+`Ecosystem page <https://pandas.pydata.org/community/ecosystem.html#io-engines>`_.
+
 .. _extending.pandas_priority:
 
 Arithmetic with 3rd party types

doc/source/whatsnew/v3.0.0.rst

@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ Other enhancements
 - Support passing a :class:`Iterable[Hashable]` input to :meth:`DataFrame.drop_duplicates` (:issue:`59237`)
 - Support reading Stata 102-format (Stata 1) dta files (:issue:`58978`)
 - Support reading Stata 110-format (Stata 7) dta files (:issue:`47176`)
+- Third-party packages can now register engines that can be used in pandas I/O operations :func:`read_iceberg` and :meth:`DataFrame.to_iceberg` (:issue:`61584`)
 
 .. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 .. _whatsnew_300.notable_bug_fixes:

pandas/core/frame.py

@@ -188,7 +188,10 @@
     nargsort,
 )
 
-from pandas.io.common import get_handle
+from pandas.io.common import (
+    allow_third_party_engines,
+    get_handle,
+)
 from pandas.io.formats import (
     console,
     format as fmt,
@@ -3547,6 +3550,7 @@ def to_xml(
 
         return xml_formatter.write_output()
 
+    @allow_third_party_engines
     def to_iceberg(
         self,
         table_identifier: str,
@@ -3556,6 +3560,7 @@ def to_iceberg(
         location: str | None = None,
         append: bool = False,
         snapshot_properties: dict[str, str] | None = None,
+        engine: str | None = None,
     ) -> None:
         """
         Write a DataFrame to an Apache Iceberg table.
@@ -3580,6 +3585,10 @@ def to_iceberg(
             If ``True``, append data to the table, instead of replacing the content.
         snapshot_properties : dict of {str: str}, optional
             Custom properties to be added to the snapshot summary
+        engine : str, optional
+            The engine to use. Engines can be installed via third-party packages. For an
+            updated list of existing pandas I/O engines check the I/O engines section of
+            our Ecosystem page.
 
         See Also
         --------

pandas/io/common.py

@@ -9,13 +9,15 @@
 import codecs
 from collections import defaultdict
 from collections.abc import (
+    Callable,
     Hashable,
     Mapping,
     Sequence,
 )
 import dataclasses
 import functools
 import gzip
+from importlib.metadata import entry_points
 from io import (
     BufferedIOBase,
     BytesIO,
@@ -90,6 +92,10 @@
 
     from pandas import MultiIndex
 
+# registry of I/O engines. It is populated the first time a non-core
+# pandas engine is used
+_io_engines: dict[str, Any] | None = None
+
 
 @dataclasses.dataclass
 class IOArgs:
@@ -1282,3 +1288,149 @@ def dedup_names(
         counts[col] = cur_count + 1
 
     return names
+
+
+def _get_io_engine(name: str) -> Any:
+    """
+    Return an I/O engine by its name.
+
+    pandas I/O engines can be registered via entry points. The first time this
+    function is called it will register all the entry points of the "pandas.io_engine"
+    group and cache them in the global `_io_engines` variable.
+
+    Engines are implemented as classes with the `read_<format>` and `to_<format>`
+    methods (classmethods) for the formats they wish to provide. This function will
+    return the method from the engine and format being requested.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    name : str
+        The engine name provided by the user in `engine=<value>`.
+
+    Examples
+    --------
+    An engine is implemented with a class like:
+
+    >>> class DummyEngine:
+    ...     @classmethod
+    ...     def read_csv(cls, filepath_or_buffer, **kwargs):
+    ...         # the engine signature must match the pandas method signature
+    ...         return pd.DataFrame()
+
+    It must be registered as an entry point with the engine name:
+
+    ```
+    [project.entry-points."pandas.io_engine"]
+    dummy = "pandas:io.dummy.DummyEngine"
+
+    ```
+
+    Then the `read_csv` method of the engine can be used with:
+
+    >>> _get_io_engine(engine_name="dummy").read_csv("myfile.csv")  # doctest: +SKIP
+
+    This is used internally to dispatch the next pandas call to the engine caller:
+
+    >>> df = read_csv("myfile.csv", engine="dummy")  # doctest: +SKIP
+    """
+    global _io_engines
+
+    if _io_engines is None:
+        _io_engines = {}
+        for entry_point in entry_points().select(group="pandas.io_engine"):
+            if entry_point.dist:
+                package_name = entry_point.dist.metadata["Name"]
+            else:
+                package_name = None
+            if entry_point.name in _io_engines:
+                _io_engines[entry_point.name]._packages.append(package_name)
+            else:
+                _io_engines[entry_point.name] = entry_point.load()
+                _io_engines[entry_point.name]._packages = [package_name]
+
+    try:
+        engine = _io_engines[name]
+    except KeyError as err:
+        raise ValueError(
+            f"'{name}' is not a known engine. Some engines are only available "
+            "after installing the package that provides them."
+        ) from err
+
+    if len(engine._packages) > 1:
+        msg = (
+            f"The engine '{name}' has been registered by the package "
+            f"'{engine._packages[0]}' and will be used. "
+        )
+        if len(engine._packages) == 2:
+            msg += (
+                f"The package '{engine._packages[1]}' also tried to register "
+                "the engine, but it couldn't because it was already registered."
+            )
+        else:
+            msg += (
+                "The packages {str(engine._packages[1:]}[1:-1] also tried to register "
+                "the engine, but they couldn't because it was already registered."
+            )
+        warnings.warn(msg, RuntimeWarning, stacklevel=find_stack_level())
+
+    return engine
+
+
+def allow_third_party_engines(
+    skip_engines: list[str] | Callable | None = None,
+) -> Callable:
+    """
+    Decorator to avoid boilerplate code when allowing readers and writers to use
+    third-party engines.
+
+    The decorator will introspect the function to know which format should be obtained,
+    and to know if it's a reader or a writer. Then it will check if the engine has been
+    registered, and if it has, it will dispatch the execution to the engine with the
+    arguments provided by the user.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    skip_engines : list of str, optional
+        For engines that are implemented in pandas, we want to skip them for this engine
+        dispatching system. They should be specified in this parameter.
+
+    Examples
+    --------
+    The decorator works both with the `skip_engines` parameter, or without:
+
+    >>> class DataFrame:
+    ...     @allow_third_party_engines(["python", "c", "pyarrow"])
+    ...     def read_csv(filepath_or_buffer, **kwargs):
+    ...         pass
+    ...
+    ...     @allow_third_party_engines
+    ...     def read_sas(filepath_or_buffer, **kwargs):
+    ...         pass
+    """
+
+    def decorator(func: Callable) -> Callable:
+        @functools.wraps(func)
+        def wrapper(*args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> Any:
+            if callable(skip_engines) or skip_engines is None:
+                skip_engine = False
+            else:
+                skip_engine = kwargs["engine"] in skip_engines
+
+            if "engine" in kwargs and not skip_engine:
+                engine_name = kwargs.pop("engine")
+                engine = _get_io_engine(engine_name)
+                try:
+                    return getattr(engine, func.__name__)(*args, **kwargs)
+                except AttributeError as err:
+                    raise ValueError(
+                        f"The engine '{engine_name}' does not provide a "
+                        f"'{func.__name__}' function"
+                    ) from err
+            else:
+                return func(*args, **kwargs)
+
+        return wrapper
+
+    if callable(skip_engines):
+        return decorator(skip_engines)
+    return decorator

pandas/io/iceberg.py

@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@
 
 from pandas import DataFrame
 
+from pandas.io.common import allow_third_party_engines
 
+
+@allow_third_party_engines
 def read_iceberg(
     table_identifier: str,
     catalog_name: str | None = None,
@@ -18,6 +21,7 @@ def read_iceberg(
     snapshot_id: int | None = None,
     limit: int | None = None,
     scan_properties: dict[str, Any] | None = None,
+    engine: str | None = None,
 ) -> DataFrame:
     """
     Read an Apache Iceberg table into a pandas DataFrame.
@@ -52,6 +56,10 @@ def read_iceberg(
     scan_properties : dict of {str: obj}, optional
         Additional Table properties as a dictionary of string key value pairs to use
         for this scan.
+    engine : str, optional
+        The engine to use. Engines can be installed via third-party packages. For an
+        updated list of existing pandas I/O engines check the I/O engines section of
+        our Ecosystem page.
 
     Returns
     -------