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iloc vs loc in Pandas: A Guide with Examples

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🐼 iloc vs loc in Pandas: Which One to Use?
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Two indexing methods in Pandas that trip up many beginners. Let’s clear it up! 🎯

📌 The Key Difference
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  • 🏷️ .locLabel-based indexing: uses row/column names. Readable and intuitive.
  • 🔢 .ilocInteger position-based indexing: uses numbers (0, 1, 2…). Like accessing a list.

When to use each?
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SituationUse
You know the column/index name.loc
You want row/column by number.iloc
You need a row range.iloc[0:5]
Index has custom labels.loc['label']

💡 Explanation in a nutshell
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A Pandas DataFrame is like a spreadsheet with rows and columns. To access specific data, Pandas offers two main approaches: .loc uses the actual names of rows/columns (like searching a contact by name), and .iloc uses numeric position (like grabbing item #3 from a list). Knowing which to use prevents subtle bugs in your data analysis code.

More information at the link 👇

Also published on LinkedIn.
Juan Pedro Bretti Mandarano
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Juan Pedro Bretti Mandarano