How to check that pylab backend of Matplotlib runs inline?

To check that pylab/pyplot backend of Matplotlib runs inline, we can use the get_backend() method. This method returns the name of the current backend being used by Matplotlib for rendering plots.

Checking the Current Backend

The get_backend() method provides information about which backend Matplotlib is currently using ?

import matplotlib

backend = matplotlib.get_backend()
print("Backend:", backend)

Backend: Qt5Agg

Checking for Inline Backend

In Jupyter notebooks, you can verify if the inline backend is active by looking for specific backend names ?

import matplotlib

backend = matplotlib.get_backend()
print("Current backend:", backend)

# Check if running inline
if 'inline' in backend.lower():
    print("Matplotlib is running inline")
else:
    print("Matplotlib is not running inline")
    print("To enable inline plots in Jupyter, use: %matplotlib inline")

Current backend: Qt5Agg
Matplotlib is not running inline
To enable inline plots in Jupyter, use: %matplotlib inline

Common Backend Types

Enabling Inline Backend

In Jupyter notebooks, you can enable inline plotting using the magic command ?

%matplotlib inline
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import matplotlib

# Check backend after enabling inline
backend = matplotlib.get_backend()
print("Backend after %matplotlib inline:", backend)

Conclusion

Use matplotlib.get_backend() to check the current backend. For inline plotting in Jupyter notebooks, use %matplotlib inline and verify the backend contains "inline".