Glossary
.condarc
The Conda Runtime Configuration file, an optional .yaml file
that allows you to configure many aspects of conda, such as which
channels it searches for packages, proxy settings, and environment
directories. A .condarc file is not included by default, but
it is automatically created in your home directory
when you use the conda config command. The .condarc file
can also be located in a root environment, in which case it
overrides any .condarc in the home directory. For more
information, see Using the .condarc conda configuration file
and Administering a multi-user conda installation.
Pronounced "conda r-c".
Activate/Deactivate environment
Conda commands used to switch or move between installed
environments. The conda activate command prepends the path of your
current environment to the PATH environment variable so that you
do not need to type it each time. deactivate removes it.
Even when an environment is deactivated, you can still execute
programs in that environment by specifying their paths directly,
as in ~/anaconda/envs/envname/bin/program_name. When an
environment is activated, you can execute the program in that
environment with just program_name.
Note
Replace envname with the name of the environment and
replace program_name with the name of the program.
Anaconda
A downloadable, free, open-source, high-performance, and optimized
Python and R distribution. Anaconda includes
conda, conda-build, Python, and 250+
automatically installed, open-source scientific packages and
their dependencies that have been tested to work well together,
including SciPy, NumPy, and many others. Use the conda install command
to easily install 7,500+ popular open-source packages
for data science--including advanced and scientific
analytics--from the Anaconda repository. Use the conda
command to install thousands more open-source packages.
Because Anaconda is a Python distribution, it can make installing Python quick and easy even for new users.
Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, all versions of Anaconda are supported by the community.
Anaconda Cloud
A web-based, repository hosting service in the cloud. Packages created locally can be published to the cloud to be shared with others. Anaconda Cloud is a public version of Anaconda Repository.
Channels
The locations of the repositories where conda looks for packages.
Channels may point to a Cloud repository or a private
location on a remote or local repository that you or your organization
created. The conda channel command has a default set of channels to
search, beginning with https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/, which you may
override, for example, to maintain a private or internal channel.
These default channels are referred to in conda commands and in
the .condarc file by the channel name "defaults."
conda
The package and environment manager program bundled with Anaconda that installs and updates conda packages and their dependencies. Conda also lets you easily switch between conda environments on your local computer.
conda environment
A folder or directory that contains a specific collection of conda packages and their dependencies, so they can be maintained and run separately without interference from each other. For example, you may use a conda environment for only Python 2 and Python 2 packages, maintain another conda environment with only Python 3 and Python 3 packages, and maintain another for R language packages. Environments can be created from:
The Navigator GUI
The command line
An environment specification file with the name
your-environment-name.yml
conda package
A compressed file that contains everything that a software program needs in order to be installed and run, so that you do not have to manually find and install each dependency separately. A conda package includes system-level libraries, Python or R language modules, executable programs, and other components. You manage conda packages with conda.
conda repository
A cloud-based repository that contains 7,500+ open-source certified
packages that are easily installed locally with the
conda install command. Anyone can access the repository from:
The Navigator GUI
A terminal or Anaconda Prompt using conda commands
Metapackage
A metapackage is a very simple package that has at least a name and a version. It need not have any dependencies or build steps. Metapackages may list dependencies to several core, low-level libraries and may contain links to software files that are automatically downloaded when executed.
Miniconda
A free minimal installer for conda. Miniconda
is a small, bootstrap version of Anaconda that includes only conda,
Python, the packages they depend on, and a small number of other useful
packages, including pip, zlib, and a few others. Use the
conda install command to install 7,500+ additional conda
packages from the Anaconda repository.
Miniconda is a Python distribution that can make installing Python quick and easy even for new users.
Noarch package
A conda package that contains nothing specific to any system
architecture, so it may be installed from any system. When conda
searches for packages on any system in a channel, conda checks
both the system-specific subdirectory, such as linux-64, and
the noarch directory. Noarch is a contraction of "no architecture".
Package manager
A collection of software tools that automates the process of installing, updating, configuring, and removing computer programs for a computer's operating system. Also known as a package management system. Conda is a package manager.
Packages
Software files and information about the software, such as its name, the specific version, and a description, bundled into a file that can be installed and managed by a package manager.
Repository
Any storage location from which software assets may be retrieved and installed on a local computer. See also Anaconda Cloud and conda repository.
Silent mode installation
When installing Miniconda or Anaconda in silent mode, screen prompts are not shown on screen and default settings are automatically accepted.