How to plot a Pandas DataFrame using Matplotlib

Matplotlib is a cross-platform, data visualization and graphical plotting library for Python and its numerical extension NumPy. As such, it offers a viable open source alternative to MATLAB. Developers can also use matplotlib’s APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to embed plots in GUI applications.

A Python matplotlib script is structured so that a few lines of code are all that is required in most instances to generate a visual data plot. The matplotlib scripting layer overlays two APIs:

An OO (Object-Oriented) API collection of objects that can be assembled with greater flexibility than pyplot. This API provides direct access to Matplotlib’s backend layers.