PyTorch 101: Building Your First Neural Network

This powerful, flexible, and Python-friendly framework has become a favorite among researchers and developers alike.

In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through the process of building your very first neural network. Don’t worry if you’re a complete beginner. We’ll break down each step into bite-sized pieces.

By the end, you’ll have a working model that can recognize handwritten digits.

MNIST Neural Network. Image generated by AI | DALLE, OpenAI, 2025. https://chatgpt.com

What is PyTorch?

PyTorch is an open-source machine learning framework based on the Torch library, which is used for computer vision and natural language processing. Originally developed by Meta AI, now part of the Linux Foundation.

The benefits of the library are:

• Flexibility: PyTorch’s dynamic computation graph allows for easy debugging and experimentation.
• Python-Friendly: Its seamless integration with Python makes it easier to learn and use.
• Community Support: An active community ensures you’ll always have help when you need it.

Pre-Requisites

Before we dive in, make sure you have a few things covered:

• Basic Python Knowledge: Familiarity with Python syntax and data structures is essential.