Databricks Runtime ML maintenance policy
Databricks Runtime ML includes a variety of popular ML and DL libraries. The libraries are updated with each release to include new features and fixes. This article describes the supported top-tier libraries, their update cadence and the scenarios for when libraries are deprecated.
Library support policy
Databricks has designated a subset of the supported libraries as top-tier libraries. For these libraries, Databricks provides a faster update cadence, updating to the latest package releases with each runtime release (barring dependency conflicts). Databricks also provides advanced support, testing, and embedded optimizations for top-tier libraries. Top-tier libraries are added or removed only with major releases.
The full list of the top-tier libraries is:
- datasets
- GraphFrames
- MLflow
- PyTorch
- spark-tensorflow-connector
- Scikit-learn
- streaming
- TensorFlow
- TensorBoard
- transformers
For a list of all libraries included in each runtime version, see the release notes for Databricks Runtime ML.
Library deprecation policy
Databricks might remove a library from the top-tier list in the following situations:
- If the library has no new commits in two months and no new releases in more than six months. Databricks might add back the removed library when active maintenance resumes.
- If usage of the library drops significantly.
- Libraries are replaced if new packages have been added to fill major gaps.
Databricks will remove a pre-installed library when the library reaches any of the following conditions:
- The library is no longer actively maintained. A library is considered not actively maintained when any of the following conditions are met:
- No new commits in three months and no new releases in more than nine months.
- The library’s repository is archived.
- An announced stop in maintenance for that library.
- No stable release is found to be functional for the new runtime.
When a library is planned for removal, Databricks takes the following steps to notify customers:
- A deprecation warning is added in the runtime release notes, indicating that the library will be removed in the next major Databricks Runtime ML release.
- A notification is displayed when importing the library, indicating that the library will be removed in the next major Databricks Runtime ML release.
- Databricks documentation that references the library is updated to indicate that the library is planned for removal.
To continue to use a library after it has been removed, you can either install the library manually or use an earlier version of Databricks Runtime ML.