incdbscan-rs

A high-performance Rust implementation of IncrementalDBSCAN with Python bindings.

IncrementalDBSCAN maintains DBSCAN clustering incrementally as data points are inserted or deleted one at a time, without re-running DBSCAN from scratch. After each update, the result is identical to running DBSCAN on the full updated dataset.

This is a complete rewrite of incdbscan (Python) in Rust, using PyO3 for Python bindings. The algorithm and correctness are preserved; the implementation language and data structures change for dramatically better performance and stability.

Based on: Ester et al. 1998. Incremental Clustering for Mining in a Data Warehousing Environment. VLDB 1998.

Installation

pip install incdbscan-rs

From source (requires Rust toolchain)

# Install Rust if needed
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

# Build and install
pip install maturin
maturin develop --release

Usage

import numpy as np
from incdbscan_rs import IncrementalDBSCAN

# Create the model
db = IncrementalDBSCAN(eps=1.5, min_pts=5, p=2.0)

# Insert data points (numpy 2D array)
data = np.array([
    [0.0, 0.0],
    [1.0, 0.0],
    [0.5, 0.5],
    [10.0, 10.0],
])
db.insert(data)

# Get cluster labels
# Returns: cluster IDs (>= 0), -1 for noise, NaN for unknown points
labels = db.get_cluster_labels(data)
# array([0., 0., 0., -1.])

# Insert more points incrementally
new_points = np.array([[10.5, 10.0], [10.0, 10.5], [11.0, 11.0], [10.5, 10.5]])
db.insert(new_points)

# Labels update incrementally - no need to recluster
labels = db.get_cluster_labels(np.array([[10.0, 10.0]]))
# Now part of a cluster instead of noise

# Delete points
deleted = db.delete(np.array([[0.0, 0.0]]))
# Returns [True] - point was found and removed
# Returns [False] if the point didn't exist

API

IncrementalDBSCAN(eps=1.0, min_pts=5, p=2.0)

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
eps	float	1.0	Radius for neighborhood queries. Two points are neighbors if their distance is <= eps.
min_pts	int	5	Minimum number of neighbors required for a point to be a core point.
p	float	2.0	Minkowski distance parameter. p=2.0 is Euclidean, p=1.0 is Manhattan, p=inf is Chebyshev.

Methods

Method	Input	Output	Description
insert(X)	ndarray (n, d)	None	Insert points and update clustering.
delete(X)	ndarray (n, d)	list[bool]	Delete points. Returns whether each point was found.
get_cluster_labels(X)	ndarray (n, d)	ndarray (n,)	Get labels: >= 0 = cluster, -1 = noise, NaN = not found.

Important: All input arrays must be float64 (np.float64). If your data comes from pandas or another source as float32 or int, convert it first:

data = data.astype(np.float64)

Performance

Benchmarks vs Python incdbscan

Measured on the same machine with identical data (random 2D points, eps=2.0, min_pts=5). Each benchmark inserts all points, then deletes half.

Insertion speed

Dataset size	Python	Rust	Speedup
200 points	0.296s	0.001s	210x
500 points	0.494s	0.003s	147x
1000 points	1.087s	0.011s	100x
500 pts, 10D	0.484s	0.001s	425x

The Python version rebuilds a KD-tree (sklearn.NearestNeighbors.fit()) on every single insertion -- O(n log n) per insert. The Rust version uses a flat Vec with O(1) append and O(n) brute-force query, which wins massively because the tree rebuild is the bottleneck.

Deletion speed

Dataset size	Python	Rust	Speedup
200 pts, delete 100	0.003s	0.0002s	14x
500 pts, delete 250	0.098s	0.014s	7x
1000 pts, delete 500	1.478s	0.240s	6x

Deletion involves BFS-based split detection, which has similar algorithmic complexity in both versions. Gains come from Rust's tight loops, no Python object overhead, and no FFI callback crossing.

Overall (insert + delete)

Dataset size	Python	Rust	Speedup
200 points	0.299s	0.002s	184x
500 points	0.592s	0.017s	34x
1000 points	2.566s	0.251s	10x

Stress test: 10 batches of 500 points

Simulates a real workload: insert 500 points per batch, delete 100 per batch, 10 batches total (5000 inserts, 1000 deletes).

Python incdbscan

Batch  1: insert=1.85s   delete=0.21s    mem=810KB
Batch  5: insert=2.19s   delete=13.06s   mem=4,987KB
Batch 10: insert=3.13s   delete=58.22s   mem=14,009KB

Deletion time grows from 0.2s to 58s. Memory grows linearly at ~1.4 MB per batch. The Python version may crash with RecursionError: maximum recursion depth exceeded at larger scales due to circular object references and callback-based BFS (see Stability).

incdbscan-rs

Batch  1: insert=0.003s  delete=0.01s    mem=12KB
Batch  5: insert=0.027s  delete=0.60s    mem=12KB
Batch 10: insert=0.086s  delete=2.65s    mem=13KB

Deletion time grows from 0.01s to 2.6s (inherent to the algorithm), but remains 22x faster than Python throughout. Python-side memory stays flat at 12-13 KB because all data lives in Rust's heap.

Correctness verification

The Rust version produces identical results to both the Python incdbscan and sklearn's DBSCAN:

• All benchmarks above show matching cluster counts and noise counts between Python and Rust
• Cross-validation against sklearn.cluster.DBSCAN confirms label assignments are isomorphic (same clustering, potentially different label numbering)
• Tested scenarios: cluster creation, absorption, merge, 2-way split, 3-way split, duplicate handling, noise detection, multi-dimensional data (2D through 100D)

Stability

Why the Python version crashes on long-running tasks

The Python incdbscan can hit RecursionError: maximum recursion depth exceeded after several batches of insertions/deletions. There are two root causes:

1. Circular object references. Each Object stores self.neighbors = {self}, and neighbors cross-reference each other. After thousands of insertions, Python's cyclic garbage collector must trace these chains, which can exceed the default recursion limit (1000) during GC sweeps.

2. BFS via Python callbacks. Split detection uses rustworkx.bfs_search() which invokes a Python BFSVisitor callback for every node and edge. In dense graphs, these callbacks accumulate on the call stack.

3. Quadratic memory operations. numpy.insert() copies the entire coordinate array on every single point insertion, causing O(n^2) total memory operations and heavy GC pressure.

Why incdbscan-rs is immune

Concern	Python	Rust
Recursion	BFS via visitor callbacks, GC cycle tracing	Zero recursion -- all traversals are iterative loops
Memory model	Circular Object references, cyclic GC	u64 IDs in HashMap and petgraph -- no reference cycles, no GC
Spatial index	KD-tree rebuild + numpy array copy per insert	Flat Vec with O(1) append -- no copies
Stack growth	Proportional to graph size via callbacks	Constant -- heap-allocated VecDeque for BFS
Python-side memory	14 MB at batch 10, growing ~1.4 MB/batch	13 KB flat -- all data lives in Rust heap

The Rust version has no call stack growth proportional to data size. Every graph traversal uses while let Some(node) = queue.pop_front() { ... } with a heap-allocated queue.

Architecture

src/
├── lib.rs              # PyO3 module + IncrementalDBSCAN pyclass
├── engine.rs           # Pure-Rust IncrementalDbscan entry point
├── types.rs            # ObjectId (u64), ClusterLabel (i64), constants, hash function
├── distance.rs         # Minkowski distance family (p=2 optimized with squared distance)
├── object.rs           # ObjectData struct (id, count, neighbor_count, core status)
├── spatial_index.rs    # Brute-force spatial index (Vec-based, O(1) insert, O(n) query)
├── labels.rs           # LabelHandler (bidirectional HashMap mapping)
├── objects.rs          # Central manager (petgraph StableGraph + spatial index + labels)
├── inserter.rs         # Insertion algorithm (creation / absorption / merge)
├── deleter.rs          # Deletion algorithm (split detection, border reassignment)
└── bfs_split.rs        # Multi-source BFS for cluster split detection

Key design decisions

• petgraph::StableGraph instead of a plain graph. Stable node indices survive node removal, which is critical since we store NodeIndex values in hash maps.
• No neighbor set on objects. The Python version stores obj.neighbors as a set. Rust queries graph.neighbors(node_idx) directly, avoiding duplicated state and circular references.
• DeletedObjectInfo pattern. Python accesses a deleted object's neighbors after deletion (the object persists in memory via GC). Rust snapshots neighbor data into a struct before removal.
• Brute-force spatial index. O(1) insert + O(n) query per insert beats Python's O(n log n) tree rebuild + O(log n + k) query, because the rebuild dominates. Upgradeable to grid-based spatial hashing for very large datasets.
• Feature-gated PyO3. PyO3 bindings are behind the extension-module Cargo feature, so cargo test runs pure Rust tests without requiring a Python interpreter.

Running tests

Rust unit tests (24 tests)

cargo test

Tests cover: distance calculations, hashing, spatial index operations, label management, object data structures.

Python tests (36 tests)

pip install incdbscan-rs[dev]
pytest

Tests cover: construction, noise, cluster creation, absorption, merge, duplicates, deletion, 2-way/3-way splits, reinsert, multi-dimensional (1D-50D), distance metrics, sklearn cross-validation, stress testing.

Differences from Python incdbscan

Feature	Python incdbscan	incdbscan-rs
Distance metrics	Any sklearn metric	Minkowski family only (p=1, 2, inf, or any p >= 1)
delete() return value	Returns self	Returns list[bool] (whether each point was found)
Warnings for missing objects	IncrementalDBSCANWarning	NaN in labels, False in delete results
Dependencies	numpy, scikit-learn, rustworkx, sortedcontainers, xxhash	numpy (Python side only)
Minimum Python	3.9	3.9

License

BSD-3-Clause. See LICENSE.

Based on the incdbscan project by Arpad Fulop.