pfl-research: simulation framework for accelerating research in Private Federated Learning
(2404.06430)Abstract
Federated learning (FL) is an emerging ML training paradigm where clients own their data and collaborate to train a global model, without revealing any data to the server and other participants. Researchers commonly perform experiments in a simulation environment to quickly iterate on ideas. However, existing open-source tools do not offer the efficiency required to simulate FL on larger and more realistic FL datasets. We introduce pfl-research, a fast, modular, and easy-to-use Python framework for simulating FL. It supports TensorFlow, PyTorch, and non-neural network models, and is tightly integrated with state-of-the-art privacy algorithms. We study the speed of open-source FL frameworks and show that pfl-research is 7-72$\times$ faster than alternative open-source frameworks on common cross-device setups. Such speedup will significantly boost the productivity of the FL research community and enable testing hypotheses on realistic FL datasets that were previously too resource intensive. We release a suite of benchmarks that evaluates an algorithm's overall performance on a diverse set of realistic scenarios. The code is available on GitHub at https://github.com/apple/pfl-research.
Overview
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pfl-research is a Python framework designed to simulate Federated Learning (FL) and Private Federated Learning (PFL) efficiently, providing a significant speed enhancement over existing simulators.
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The framework supports a wide range of machine learning models, integrates with privacy-preserving algorithms, and facilitates distributed simulations, enhancing research productivity.
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Benchmarking studies show pfl-research's superior performance, including on CIFAR10 IID and FLAIR datasets, outperforming other FL simulation frameworks in speed while maintaining or improving accuracy.
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pfl-research promotes collaboration and expansion within the FL community by being open-source and plans to expand its benchmark suites to include TensorFlow implementations and address cross-silo FL scenarios.
Introduction to pfl-research: A High-Speed Framework for Federated Learning Simulation
Overview of pfl-research
Federated Learning (FL) represents a paradigm shift in training machine learning models across multitudes of devices while preserving data privacy. Despite its promise, the field has been challenged by the computational resources required for simulating realistic FL setups. Addressing this bottleneck, the introduction of pfl-research, a Python framework designed for simulating FL and Private Federated Learning (PFL) effortlessly and efficiently, marks a significant advancement. This framework achieves a remarkable speed enhancement, is 7-72 times faster than existing simulators in typical use cases, supports a wide range of machine learning models, and is seamlessly integrated with cutting-edge privacy-preserving algorithms.
Key Contributions of the Framework
- Speed Improvement: pfl-research significantly accelerates the simulation of FL, enabling research and experimentation on more extensive and realistic datasets with reduced resource requirements.
- Ease of Distributed Simulations: The framework facilitates a smooth transition to distributed simulations, enhancing productivity and simplifying the researcher's workflow.
- Comprehensive Privacy Features: With built-in state-of-the-art privacy mechanisms, pfl-research allows for rigorous experimentation with PFL, ensuring user privacy without compromising the utility of the models.
- Support for Various Models: Beyond neural networks, the framework accommodates a range of model types, broadening the scope of FL research.
- Benchmark Suite: A suite of benchmarks is provided, allowing researchers to evaluate their algorithms across diverse scenarios accurately.
pfl-research Architecture
pfl-research's architecture promotes modularity and flexibility, ensuring researchers can plug in different models, algorithms, and privacy techniques as needed. It simplifies the simulation process without sacrificing the realism of FL setups, offering support for both PyTorch and TensorFlow frameworks. Through its distributed simulation design, pfl-research removes unnecessary communication overhead, enabling efficient use of computational resources.
Performance and Benchmarking
Benchmarking studies reveal pfl-research's superior performance compared to other FL simulation frameworks. Speed tests on both small-scale (CIFAR10 IID) and large-scale (FLAIR) datasets demonstrate the framework's capability to drastically reduce the wall-clock time for simulations while maintaining or improving the accuracy of the results. For FLAIR, pfl-research outstrips TensorFlow Federated and Flower by significant margins, showcasing its efficiency in handling complex simulations with high computational demands.
Implications and Future Directions
The release of pfl-research is poised to accelerate the pace of FL research by making simulations more accessible and practical. Its performance advantages, coupled with the comprehensive suite of features, empower researchers to explore a broader spectrum of hypotheses and contribute to the continual advancement of FL technologies.
The framework's open-source nature invites collaboration and expansion, with opportunities for the community to integrate new algorithms, datasets, and privacy mechanisms. The authors also highlight planned enhancements, including the expansion of benchmark suites to cover TensorFlow implementations and cross-silo FL scenarios.
In conclusion, pfl-research stands out as a versatile, powerful tool for FL research, addressing core challenges in simulation speed and framework capabilities. Its development reflects the growing need for efficient, scalable solutions in federated learning, marking a step forward in the realization of privacy-preserving, decentralized machine learning models.
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