Visualizing PyPI's Dependency Graph: Unveiling Hidden Package Clusters

By visualizing the dependency graph of over half a million open-source Python packages on PyPI, the author constructs a massive network graph. After data cleaning and using Gephi software, the author successfully reveals the dependency relationships between packages and discovers interesting phenomena: some packages form tight clusters, such as the scientific computing package cluster around NumPy; others are anomalous clusters containing suspicious packages, hinting at the potential of visualization methods for detecting malicious packages. Furthermore, packages from large enterprises like Triton and Odoo also cluster together due to their internal dependencies. This research provides a new perspective on exploring the PyPI ecosystem and demonstrates the power of data visualization in package analysis.