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    Deep Learning Image Classification & Object Detection API

    A production ML API for image classification and object detection using PyTorch and Keras, deployed with FastAPI and Docker for scalable inference.

    2024
    ML Engineer / Backend Developer
    9 Technologies
    PythonPyTorchKerasTensorFlowFastAPIDockerOpenCVNumPyMLflow
    Deep Learning Image Classification & Object Detection API

    Introduction

    The Deep Learning Vision API brings production-grade computer vision capabilities to businesses without requiring ML expertise. This project implements state-of-the-art image classification and object detection models, optimized for inference speed and deployed as a scalable REST API.

    The Challenge

    Machine learning models often remain in Jupyter notebooks, never reaching production. The gap between training a model and deploying it reliably at scale involves complex challenges: model optimization, API design, GPU resource management, versioning, and monitoring. The goal was to bridge this gap with a production-ready inference platform.

    The Solution

    We built custom CNN architectures using PyTorch for image classification and integrated YOLO for object detection. Models are optimized with TensorRT and served via FastAPI with automatic batching. The platform includes MLflow for experiment tracking and model registry.

    Technical Deep Dive

    1

    Trained custom ResNet-based classifier achieving 94% accuracy on 50-class domain-specific dataset

    2

    Implemented YOLO-v8 fine-tuning for custom object detection with transfer learning

    3

    Optimized inference with TensorRT achieving 5x speedup over vanilla PyTorch

    4

    Built automatic request batching maximizing GPU utilization during high load

    5

    Deployed canary releases and A/B testing infrastructure for model comparison

    Key Features

    Image Classification

    Multi-class prediction with confidence scores and top-k results

    Object Detection

    Real-time bounding box detection with class labels and scores

    Model Registry

    Version control for models with rollback and comparison capabilities

    Auto-Batching

    Intelligent request batching for optimal GPU utilization

    Performance Monitoring

    Latency tracking, accuracy drift detection, and usage analytics

    Results & Impact

    • Serving 500+ inference requests per minute with sub-200ms latency
    • Achieved 94% accuracy on image classification task
    • Reduced model deployment time from weeks to hours
    • Enabled production ML for teams without infrastructure expertise

    Lessons Learned

    "Model accuracy means nothing if inference is too slow for production use"

    "Monitoring model drift is as important as initial accuracy metrics"

    "API design should hide ML complexity from consumers"

    Conclusion

    Deploying ML models to production requires treating the entire pipeline as an engineering problem. By focusing on reliability, speed, and developer experience, we've made advanced computer vision accessible to any application.

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