transformers - 💡(How to fix) Fix Only tensorboard is installed without TensorFlow, causing undefined tf backend error

File "<string>", line 1, in <module> File "/usr/local/lib/python3.12/dist-packages/transformers/init.py", line 795, in <module> sys.modules[name] = _LazyModule( ^^^^^^^^^^^^ File "/usr/local/lib/python3.12/dist-packages/transformers/utils/import_utils.py", line 2100, in init raise ValueError( ValueError: Backend should be defined in the BACKENDS_MAPPING. Offending backend: tf

TL;DR

The issue can be resolved by setting the TRANSFORMERS_NO_TF environment variable to avoid TensorFlow backend validation when importing the transformers library.

Guidance

• Set the TRANSFORMERS_NO_TF environment variable before importing the transformers library to prevent TensorFlow backend validation.
• Verify that TensorFlow is completely uninstalled in the environment, as only TensorBoard is required.
• Check the transformers library documentation for any specific configuration options related to backend selection.
• Consider modifying the Docker image to set the TRANSFORMERS_NO_TF environment variable by default.

Example

import os
os.environ['TRANSFORMERS_NO_TF'] = '1'
import transformers

Notes

This solution assumes that the transformers library version 5.5.4 supports the TRANSFORMERS_NO_TF environment variable. If this variable is not supported, alternative solutions may be required.

Recommendation

Apply the workaround by setting the TRANSFORMERS_NO_TF environment variable, as it is a non-intrusive solution that does not require modifying the Docker image or the transformers library.