Using authenticated channels

Some conda channels require authentication before packages can be downloaded. For example, a private channel may require an access token, or a company-hosted channel may require HTTP basic authentication.

Conda supports authenticated channels through authentication handler plugins. For common authenticated-channel workflows, use the conda-auth plugin.

Install conda-auth

Install conda-auth into your base environment:

conda self install conda-auth

Because conda-auth is a conda plugin, it must be installed in the environment where conda itself is installed, usually base.

Log in with HTTP basic authentication

Use HTTP basic authentication for channels that require a username and password:

conda auth login https://example.com/my-protected-channel --basic

The command prompts for your credentials. After you log in, use the channel as you normally would:

conda install --channel https://example.com/my-protected-channel package-name

Log in with token authentication

Use token authentication for channels that require an access token:

conda auth login my-private-channel --token

When you provide a bare channel name such as my-private-channel, conda-auth uses the corresponding channel on anaconda.org by default.

The command prompts for your token. After you log in, use the channel as you normally would:

conda install --channel my-private-channel package-name

Log out of an authenticated channel

To remove stored credentials for a channel, log out:

conda auth logout https://example.com/my-protected-channel

Security notes

The conda auth login command prompts for secrets by default. This is recommended for interactive use because it avoids placing passwords or tokens directly in your shell history.

Passing passwords or tokens directly on the command line may be useful for non-interactive automation, but it can expose secrets in shell history, process listings, or CI logs. Follow your organization's secret management practices when using authenticated channels in automation.

Advanced authentication configuration

The channel_settings configuration option can associate a channel with a specific authentication handler. This is mainly useful for advanced workflows or custom authentication plugins.

For more information, see the conda-auth Getting Started guide, channel_settings, and the developer documentation for Auth Handlers.