tensorboard
TensorBoard is Google's ML visualization toolkit that logs and displays training metrics, model architectures, embeddings, and performance profiles. Use this skill when training machine learning models to monitor loss and accuracy curves, compare multiple experimental runs, debug model behavior through histograms, visualize neural network graphs, and identify performance bottlenecks during development.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs /tmp/tensorboard && cp -r /tmp/tensorboard/13-mlops/tensorboard ~/.claude/skills/tensorboardSKILL.md
# TensorBoard: Visualization Toolkit for ML
## When to Use This Skill
Use TensorBoard when you need to:
- **Visualize training metrics** like loss and accuracy over time
- **Debug models** with histograms and distributions
- **Compare experiments** across multiple runs
- **Visualize model graphs** and architecture
- **Project embeddings** to lower dimensions (t-SNE, PCA)
- **Track hyperparameter** experiments
- **Profile performance** and identify bottlenecks
- **Visualize images and text** during training
**Users**: 20M+ downloads/year | **GitHub Stars**: 27k+ | **License**: Apache 2.0
## Installation
```bash
# Install TensorBoard
pip install tensorboard
# PyTorch integration
pip install torch torchvision tensorboard
# TensorFlow integration (TensorBoard included)
pip install tensorflow
# Launch TensorBoard
tensorboard --logdir=runs
# Access at http://localhost:6006
```
## Quick Start
### PyTorch
```python
from torch.utils.tensorboard import SummaryWriter
# Create writer
writer = SummaryWriter('runs/experiment_1')
# Training loop
for epoch in range(10):
train_loss = train_epoch()
val_acc = validate()
# Log metrics
writer.add_scalar('Loss/train', train_loss, epoch)
writer.add_scalar('Accuracy/val', val_acc, epoch)
# Close writer
writer.close()
# Launch: tensorboard --logdir=runs
```
### TensorFlow/Keras
```python
import tensorflow as tf
# Create callback
tensorboard_callback = tf.keras.callbacks.TensorBoard(
log_dir='logs/fit',
histogram_freq=1
)
# Train model
model.fit(
x_train, y_train,
epochs=10,
validation_data=(x_val, y_val),
callbacks=[tensorboard_callback]
)
# Launch: tensorboard --logdir=logs
```
## Core Concepts
### 1. SummaryWriter (PyTorch)
```python
from torch.utils.tensorboard import SummaryWriter
# Default directory: runs/CURRENT_DATETIME
writer = SummaryWriter()
# Custom directory
writer = SummaryWriter('runs/experiment_1')
# Custom comment (appended to default directory)
writer = SummaryWriter(comment='baseline')
# Log data
writer.add_scalar('Loss/train', 0.5, step=0)
writer.add_scalar('Loss/train', 0.3, step=1)
# Flush and close
writer.flush()
writer.close()
```
### 2. Logging Scalars
```python
# PyTorch
from torch.utils.tensorboard import SummaryWriter
writer = SummaryWriter()
for epoch in range(100):
train_loss = train()
val_loss = validate()
# Log individual metrics
writer.add_scalar('Loss/train', train_loss, epoch)
writer.add_scalar('Loss/val', val_loss, epoch)
writer.add_scalar('Accuracy/train', train_acc, epoch)
writer.add_scalar('Accuracy/val', val_acc, epoch)
# Learning rate
lr = optimizer.param_groups[0]['lr']
writer.add_scalar('Learning_rate', lr, epoch)
writer.close()
```
```python
# TensorFlow
import tensorflow as tf
train_summary_writer = tf.summary.create_file_writer('logs/train')
val_summary_writer = tf.summary.create_file_writer('logs/val')
for epoch in range(100):
with train_summary_writer.as_default():
tf.summary.scalar('loss', train_loss, step=epoch)
tf.summary.scalar('accuracy', train_acc, step=epoch)
with val_summary_writer.as_default():
tf.summary.scalar('loss', val_loss, step=epoch)
tf.summary.scalar('accuracy', val_acc, step=epoch)
```
### 3. Logging Multiple Scalars
```python
# PyTorch: Group related metrics
writer.add_scalars('Loss', {
'train': train_loss,
'validation': val_loss,
'test': test_loss
}, epoch)
writer.add_scalars('Metrics', {
'accuracy': accuracy,
'precision': precision,
'recall': recall,
'f1': f1_score
}, epoch)
```
### 4. Logging Images
```python
# PyTorch
import torch
from torchvision.utils import make_grid
# Single image
writer.add_image('Input/sample', img_tensor, epoch)
# Multiple images as grid
img_grid = make_grid(images[:64], nrow=8)
writer.add_image('Batch/inputs', img_grid, epoch)
# Predictions visualization
pred_grid = make_grid(predictions[:16], nrow=4)
writer.add_image('Predictions', pred_grid, epoch)
```
```python
# TensorFlow
import tensorflow as tf
with file_writer.as_default():
# Encode images as PNG
tf.summary.image('Training samples', images, step=epoch, max_outputs=25)
```
### 5. Logging Histograms
```python
# PyTorch: Track weight distributions
for name, param in model.named_parameters():
writer.add_histogram(name, param, epoch)
# Track gradients
if param.grad is not None:
writer.add_histogram(f'{name}.grad', param.grad, epoch)
# Track activations
writer.add_histogram('Activations/relu1', activations, epoch)
```
```python
# TensorFlow
with file_writer.as_default():
tf.summary.histogram('weights/layer1', layer1.kernel, step=epoch)
tf.summary.histogram('activations/relu1', activations, step=epoch)
```
### 6. Logging Model Graph
```python
# PyTorch
import torch
model = MyModel()
dummy_input = torch.randn(1, 3, 224, 224)
writer.add_graph(model, dummy_input)
writer.close()
```
```python
# TensorFlow (automatic with Keras)
tensorboard_callback = tf.keras.callbacks.TensorBoard(
log_dir='logs',
write_graph=True
)
model.fit(x, y, callbacks=[tensorboard_callback])
```
## Advanced Features
### Embedding Projector
Visualize high-dimensional data (embeddings, features) in 2D/3D.
```python
import torch
from torch.utils.tensorboard import SummaryWriter
# Get embeddings (e.g., word embeddings, image features)
embeddings = model.get_embeddings(data) # Shape: (N, embedding_dim)
# Metadata (labels for each point)
metadata = ['class_1', 'class_2', 'class_1', ...]
# Images (optional, for image embeddings)
label_images = torch.stack([img1, img2, img3, ...])
# Log to TensorBoard
writer.add_embedding(
embeddings,
metadata=metadata,
label_img=label_images,
global_step=epoch
)
```
**In TensorBoard:**
- Navigate to "Projector" tab
- Choose PCA, t-SNE, or UMAP visualization
- Search, filter, and explore clusters
### Hyperparameter Tuning
```python
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