Practical overview
When it fits
Use it when a TensorFlow or JAX workflow needs explicit probabilistic model components or inference methods, such as hierarchical modeling, Bayesian clustering or latent-variable dimensionality reduction.
Who it is for
- Machine-learning developers adding uncertainty-aware components to neural networks.
- Data scientists and researchers building Bayesian or other probabilistic models.
- TensorFlow or JAX practitioners who need statistical distributions, transformations or inference algorithms.
Documented uses
- Represent probability distributions and statistics with batch and broadcasting semantics.
- Transform random variables with composable bijectors and combine dependent variables in joint distributions.
- Add uncertainty-aware probabilistic layers to neural networks.
- Run sampling-based or optimization-based inference, including MCMC and variational inference.
- Compute Monte Carlo expectations and use stochastic optimization methods.
Requirements & limits
The public repository identifies the project as open source under the Apache-2.0 license. The README documents pip installation; TensorFlow must be installed separately from TensorFlow Probability.
- TensorFlow Probability is organized across statistical building blocks, model-building components and inference tools, so the needed layer can guide adoption.
- The JAX substrate supports use in pure JAX as well as TensorFlow-oriented workflows.
- The README says interfaces may change while the project is under active development.
- Building from source requires Bazel; the README recommends installing TensorFlow's nightly build first.
Check current requirements in the official documentation. Source-based guidance does not mean OpenViST has run or independently tested this project.
Install the stable TensorFlow Probability packages
Set up the stable TensorFlow and TensorFlow Probability packages with pip.
Before you start
- Python with pip 19.0 or later for TensorFlow 2 packages.
Steps
Upgrade pip with the command below.
python -m pip install --upgrade --user pipInstall both packages with the command below.
python -m pip install --upgrade --user tensorflow tensorflow_probabilityFor CPU-only usage and a smaller install, use
tensorflow-cpuin place oftensorflow.
Expected outcome
The documented stable TensorFlow and TensorFlow Probability packages are installed in the user directory.
Guide limitations
- TensorFlow is not installed as a dependency of the TensorFlow Probability package, so it must be installed explicitly.
- For dependencies between specific releases, consult the project release notes.
Sources & review
Source record details
- Source availability
- Active
- Sources checked
- 10 October 2026
- Original website title
- tensorflow/probability · Official homepage title · retained in its source language

