ModelRefs / Hugging Face — AI Glossary
Hugging Face — AI Glossary
The leading open-source ML platform providing model hosting, datasets, Transformers library, and inference APIs. Also called HF or HuggingFace.
Overview
Hugging Face hosts 400,000+ model checkpoints and 100,000+ datasets on the Hub. The Transformers library (PyTorch/JAX/TensorFlow) is the reference implementation for open-weight LLMs. Products: Inference Endpoints (managed GPU inference), Spaces (ML app hosting), AutoTrain (no-code fine-tuning), and the PEFT/TRL/Diffusers libraries.
Reference details
| Topic | infrastructure |
|---|---|
| Also known as | HF, HuggingFace |
| Last reviewed | 2026-06-24 |
Related terms
Commonly confused with
The name covers three things that are worth separating: the company and its ecosystem, the Hub where models and datasets are hosted, and the Transformers library that most open-weight code imports. A model hub is the generic category the Hub belongs to — MLflow's registry and cloud registries are others. Saying "we use Hugging Face" usually means the library, the Hub or the Inference Endpoints product, and those are different dependencies.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Hugging Face?
The leading open-source ML platform providing model hosting, datasets, Transformers library, and inference APIs.
Is Hugging Face the same as HF?
Yes — HF, HuggingFace are common aliases for Hugging Face.
What concepts are related to Hugging Face?
Closely related concepts include model hub, model registry, open weights.