[pdal] Python API

[Paul Harwood]

The Python API is maintained and stable.

The PDAL Python API is relatively small:
- Create a pipeline using stages (pdal.Reader, pdal.Writer, pdal.Filter)
see
https://github.com/PDAL/python?tab=readme-ov-file#programmatic-pipeline-construction
- execute the pipeline (nn.execute)
- get the results using Numpy (nn.arrays)

This requires an understanding of the PDAL Pipeline concept documented here
https://pdal.org/en/2.10.1/pipeline.html AND an understanding of Numpy -
which can be challenging for non-programmers but is extensively documented.
The best solution to the latter is your favourite AI as Howard said.

You can also get the results as a pandas DataFrame
<https://pandas.pydata.org/docs/reference/api/pandas.DataFrame.html>
or a geopandas
GeoDataFrame
<https://geopandas.org/en/stable/docs/reference/api/geopandas.GeoDataFrame.html>and
I notice that these are not documented. We should probably do
something about that!

PM me directly if you want to talk through some of the possibilities ...

On Mon, 13 Apr 2026 at 17:08, lefsky--- via pdal <pdal at lists.osgeo.org>
wrote:

> Do you anticipate maintaining the API?  (duplicate of github ticker)
>
> Also, I'm a geographer, not a programmer. Is there a way to extract the
> information on function and keyword names from the source code?
>
> Thanks Michael
>
> On Mon, Apr 13, 2026 at 12:18 PM Howard Butler <howard at hobu.co> wrote:
>
>> As Paul says, there isn't a comprehensive one. The API surface is quite
>> small, and if you ask your favorite LLM, you're likely to get something
>> that's quite reasonable.
>>
>> The best examples of specific things are in the tests.
>>
>> On Apr 13, 2026, at 10:05 AM, Paul Harwood via pdal <pdal at lists.osgeo.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>> The main and, as far as I know, only reference is the GitHub readme
>> https://github.com/PDAL/python.
>>
>> Paul
>>
>> On Mon, 13 Apr 2026, 15:43 lefsky--- via pdal, <pdal at lists.osgeo.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I'd like to use the Python API for my work with pdal, but I haven't
>>> found a comprehensive reference for it. Can anyone point me in the correct
>>> direction?
>>>
>>> Thanks
>>>
>>> Michael
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Michael Lefsky (He/His)
>>> Home Location: HVHF+GH
>>> Cell: 970-980-9036
>>> http://www.researcherid.com/rid/A-7224-2009
>>>
>>> *“for being prematurely, and worse, intuitively right — there’s a heavy
>>> price. But for being wrong — no, not so long as you’re wrong in a pack."
>>> Gary Brecher / Portis*
>>>
>>> *I acknowledge that I live and work on stolen land. This is the land of
>>> the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute, and Ocheithi Sakowin people. To learn more
>>> about these nations, please visit;
>>> http://www.utemountainutetribe.com/
>>> http://www.cheyennenation.com/
>>> https://cheyenneandarapaho-nsn.gov/
>>> https://native-land.ca/
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> pdal mailing list
>>> pdal at lists.osgeo.org
>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/pdal
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
>
> --
> Michael Lefsky (He/His)
> Home Location: HVHF+GH
> Cell: 970-980-9036
> http://www.researcherid.com/rid/A-7224-2009
>
> *“for being prematurely, and worse, intuitively right — there’s a heavy
> price. But for being wrong — no, not so long as you’re wrong in a pack."
> Gary Brecher / Portis*
>
> *I acknowledge that I live and work on stolen land. This is the land of
> the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute, and Ocheithi Sakowin people. To learn more
> about these nations, please visit;
> http://www.utemountainutetribe.com/
> http://www.cheyennenation.com/
> https://cheyenneandarapaho-nsn.gov/
> https://native-land.ca/
>
> _______________________________________________
> pdal mailing list
> pdal at lists.osgeo.org
> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/pdal
>
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