# Flotta: a Secure and Flexible Spark-inspired Federated Learning Framework

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.13473 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.13473/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 6 of its 18 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 20 Sep 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [Communication-Efficient Learning of Deep Networks from Decentralized Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1602.05629/) (2016)
- [Towards Federated Learning at Scale: System Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.01046/) (2019)
- [The Future of Digital Health with Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.08119/) (2020)
- [Ray: A Distributed Framework for Emerging AI Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1712.05889/) (2017)
- [FedML: A Research Library and Benchmark for Federated Machine Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.13518/) (2020)
- [Substra: a framework for privacy-preserving, traceable and collaborative Machine Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.11567/) (2019)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Privacy-Preserving Feature Valuation in Vertical Federated Learning Using Shapley-CMI and PSI Permutation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.14767/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We present Flotta, a Federated Learning framework designed to train machine learning models on sensitive data distributed across a multi-party consortium conducting research in contexts requiring high levels of security, such as the biomedical field. Flotta is a Python package, inspired in several aspects by Apache Spark, which provides both flexibility and security and allows conducting research using solely machines internal to the consortium. In this paper, we describe the main components of the framework together with a practical use case to illustrate the framework's capabilities and highlight its security, flexibility and user-friendliness.