Learn CATBOOST with Real Code Examples
Updated Nov 24, 2025
Learning Path
Learn Python and scikit-learn basics
Understand decision trees and gradient boosting
Practice CatBoost on classification and regression tasks
Explore hyperparameter tuning and categorical feature handling
Integrate into ML pipelines and production workflows
Skill Improvement Plan
Week 1: train simple classifier/regressor
Week 2: handle categorical features and cross-validation
Week 3: ranking tasks and GPU training
Week 4: custom loss functions and distributed learning
Week 5: deployment and integration into pipelines
Interview Questions
How does CatBoost handle categorical features?
Explain ordered boosting and its benefits
Difference between CatBoost, LightGBM, and XGBoost?
How to prevent overfitting in CatBoost?
How does CatBoost handle missing values?
Cheat Sheet
CatBoostClassifier() = classification model
CatBoostRegressor() = regression model
Pool() = dataset object
fit() = train model with parameters
predict() = generate predictions
Books
Hands-On Gradient Boosting with CatBoost
Mastering Machine Learning with CatBoost
Advanced Boosting Techniques in Python
Tabular ML with CatBoost and LightGBM
Applied Machine Learning with CatBoost
Tutorials
CatBoost official tutorials
Kaggle CatBoost example notebooks
Medium blogs on CatBoost tips
YouTube tutorials on gradient boosting
Hands-on tabular ML courses using CatBoost
Official Docs
https://catboost.ai/docs/
https://github.com/catboost/catboost
Community Links
CatBoost GitHub
StackOverflow CatBoost tag
Kaggle forums
Reddit ML and Kaggle communities
Blogs and tutorials online
Community Support
CatBoost GitHub repository
StackOverflow CatBoost tag
Kaggle forums and competitions
Medium and blog tutorials
Yandex CatBoost official discussions