Managing environments — conda 4.6.0 documentation (2024)

Creating an environment with commands
Creating an environment from an environment.yml file
Cloning an environment
Building identical conda environments
Activating an environment
Deactivating an environment
Determining your current environment
Viewing a list of your environments
Viewing a list of the packages in an environment
Using pip in an environment
Saving environment variables
Sharing an environment
Removing an environment

With conda, you can create, export, list, remove and updateenvironments that have different versions of Python and/orpackages installed in them. Switching or moving betweenenvironments is called activating the environment. You can alsoshare an environment file.

NOTE: There are many options available for the commands describedon this page. For details, see Command reference.

Creating an environment with commands¶

TIP: By default, environments are installed into the envsdirectory in your conda directory. Run conda create --helpfor information on specifying a different path.

Use the Terminal or an Anaconda Prompt for the following steps.

To create an environment:
```
conda create --name myenv
```
NOTE: Replace myenv with the environment name.
When conda asks you to proceed, type y:
```
proceed ([y]/n)?
```

This creates the myenv environment in /envs/. Thisenvironment uses the same version of Python that you arecurrently using, because you did not specify a version.

To create an environment with a specific version of Python:

conda create -n myenv python=3.4

To create an environment with a specific package:

conda create -n myenv scipy

OR:

conda create -n myenv pythonconda install -n myenv scipy

To create an environment with a specific version of a package:

conda create -n myenv scipy=0.15.0

OR:

conda create -n myenv pythonconda install -n myenv scipy=0.15.0

To create an environment with a specific version of Python andmultiple packages:

conda create -n myenv python=3.4 scipy=0.15.0 astroid babel

TIP: Install all the programs that you want in this environmentat the same time. Installing 1 program at a time can lead todependency conflicts.

To automatically install pip or another program every time a newenvironment is created, add the default programs to thecreate_default_packages sectionof your .condarc configuration file. The default packages areinstalled every time you create a new environment. If you do notwant the default packages installed in a particular environment,use the --no-default-packages flag:

conda create --no-default-packages -n myenv python

TIP: You can add much more to the conda create command.For details, run conda create --help.

Creating an environment from an environment.yml file¶

Use the Terminal or an Anaconda Prompt for the following steps.

Create the environment from the environment.yml file:
```
conda env create -f environment.yml
```

The first line of the yml file sets the new environment’sname. For details see Creating an environment file manually.

Activate the new environment:
- Windows: activate myenv
- macOS and Linux: source activate myenv
NOTE: Replace myenv with the name of the environment.
See Also
Working with Environments – Introduction to Conda for (Data) Scientists Anaconda vs Jupyter Notebook: Which is Better? | TrustRadius Installing Python Connecting to MS SQL — Anaconda documentation
Verify that the new environment was installed correctly:
```
conda list
```

Cloning an environment¶

Use the Terminal or an Anaconda Prompt for the following steps.

You can make an exact copy of an environment by creating a cloneof it:

conda create --name myclone --clone myenv

NOTE: Replace myclone with the name of the new environment.Replace myenv with the name of the existing environment thatyou want to copy.

To verify that the copy was made:

conda info --envs

In the environments list that displays, you should see both thesource environment and the new copy.

Building identical conda environments¶

You can use explicit specification files to build an identicalconda environment on the same operating system platform, eitheron the same machine or on a different machine.

Use the Terminal or an Anaconda Prompt for the following steps.

Run conda list --explicit to produce a spec list such as:

# This file may be used to create an environment using:# $ conda create --name <env> --file <this file># platform: osx-64@EXPLICIThttps://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/mkl-11.3.3-0.tar.bz2https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/numpy-1.11.1-py35_0.tar.bz2https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/openssl-1.0.2h-1.tar.bz2https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/pip-8.1.2-py35_0.tar.bz2https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/python-3.5.2-0.tar.bz2https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/readline-6.2-2.tar.bz2https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/setuptools-25.1.6-py35_0.tar.bz2https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/sqlite-3.13.0-0.tar.bz2https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/tk-8.5.18-0.tar.bz2https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/wheel-0.29.0-py35_0.tar.bz2https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/xz-5.2.2-0.tar.bz2https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/zlib-1.2.8-3.tar.bz2

To create this spec list as a file in the current workingdirectory, run:
```
conda list --explicit > spec-file.txt
```
NOTE: You can use spec-file.txt as the filename or replaceit with a filename of your choice.

An explicit spec file is not usually cross platform, andtherefore has a comment at the top such as # platform: osx-64showing the platform where it was created. This platform is theone where this spec file is known to work. On other platforms,the packages specified might not be available or dependenciesmight be missing for some of the key packages already in thespec.

To use the spec file to create an identical environment on thesame machine or another machine:

conda create --name myenv --file spec-file.txt

To use the spec file to install its listed packages into anexisting environment:

conda install --name myenv --file spec-file.txt

Conda does not check architecture or dependencies when installingfrom a spec file. To ensure that the packages work correctly,make sure that the file was created from a working environment,and use it on the same architecture, operating system andplatform, such as linux-64 or osx-64.

Activating an environment¶

To activate an environment:

On Windows, in your Anaconda Prompt, run activate myenv
On macOS and Linux, in your Terminal Window, run source activate myenv

Conda prepends the path name myenv onto your system command.

Deactivating an environment¶

To deactivate an environment:

On Windows, in your Anaconda Prompt, run deactivate
On macOS and Linux, in your Terminal Window, run source deactivate

Conda removes the path name myenv from your system command.

TIP: In Windows, it is good practice to deactivate oneenvironment before activating another.

Determining your current environment¶

Use the Terminal or an Anaconda Prompt for the following steps.

By default, the active environment—the one you are currentlyusing—is shown in parentheses () or brackets [] at thebeginning of your command prompt:

(myenv) $

If you do not see this, run:

conda info --envs

In the environments list that displays, your current environmentis highlighted with an asterisk (*).

Viewing a list of your environments¶

To see a list of all of your environments, in your Terminal window or anAnaconda Prompt, run:

conda info --envs

conda env list

A list similar to the following is displayed:

conda environments:myenv /home/username/miniconda/envs/myenvsnowflakes /home/username/miniconda/envs/snowflakesbunnies /home/username/miniconda/envs/bunnies

Viewing a list of the packages in an environment¶

To see a list of all packages installed in a specific environment:

If the environment is not activated, in your Terminal window or anAnaconda Prompt, run:
```
conda list -n myenv
```
If the environment is activated, in your Terminal window or anAnaconda Prompt, run:
```
conda list
```

To see if a specific package is installed in an environment, in your Terminal window or anAnaconda Prompt, run:

conda list -n myenv scipy

Using pip in an environment¶

To use pip in your environment, in your Terminal window or anAnaconda Prompt, run:

conda install -n myenv pipsource activate myenvpip <pip_subcommand>

Saving environment variables¶

Conda environments can include saved environment variables.

Suppose you want an environment “analytics” to store both asecret key needed to log in to a server and a path to aconfiguration file. The sections below explain how to write ascript named env_vars to do this on Windows and macOS or Linux.

This type of script file can be part of a conda package, inwhich case these environment variables become active when anenvironment containing that package is activated.

You can name these scripts anything you like. However, multiplepackages may create script files, so be sure to use descriptivenames that are not used by other packages. One popular option isto give the script a name in the formpackagename-scriptname.sh, or on Windows,packagename-scriptname.bat.

Windows¶

Locate the directory for the conda environment in yourAnaconda Prompt by running in the command shell %CONDA_PREFIX%.

Enter that directory and create these subdirectories andfiles:

cd %CONDA_PREFIX%mkdir .\etc\conda\activate.dmkdir .\etc\conda\deactivate.dtype NUL > .\etc\conda\activate.d\env_vars.battype NUL > .\etc\conda\deactivate.d\env_vars.bat

Edit .\etc\conda\activate.d\env_vars.bat as follows:

set MY_KEY='secret-key-value'set MY_FILE=C:\path\to\my\file

Edit .\etc\conda\deactivate.d\env_vars.bat as follows:
```
set MY_KEY=set MY_FILE=
```

When you run activate analytics, the environment variablesMY_KEY and MY_FILE are set to the values you wrote into the file.When you run deactivate, those variables are erased.

macOS and Linux¶

Locate the directory for the conda environment in your Terminal window by running in the terminal echo $CONDA_PREFIX.

Enter that directory and create these subdirectories andfiles:

cd $CONDA_PREFIXmkdir -p ./etc/conda/activate.dmkdir -p ./etc/conda/deactivate.dtouch ./etc/conda/activate.d/env_vars.shtouch ./etc/conda/deactivate.d/env_vars.sh

Edit ./etc/conda/activate.d/env_vars.sh as follows:

#!/bin/shexport MY_KEY='secret-key-value'export MY_FILE=/path/to/my/file/

Edit ./etc/conda/deactivate.d/env_vars.sh as follows:
```
#!/bin/shunset MY_KEYunset MY_FILE
```

When you run source activate analytics, the environmentvariables MY_KEY and MY_FILE are set to the values you wrote intothe file. When you run source deactivate, those variables areerased.

Sharing an environment¶

You may want to share your environment with someone else—forexample, so they can re-create a test that you have done. Toallow them to quickly reproduce your environment, with all of itspackages and versions, give them a copy of yourenvironment.yml file.

Exporting the environment file¶

NOTE: If you already have an environment.yml file in yourcurrent directory, it will be overwritten during this task.

Activate the environment to export:
- On Windows, in your Anaconda Prompt, run activate myenv
- On macOS and Linux, in your Terminal window, run source activate myenv
NOTE: Replace myenv with the name of the environment.
Export your active environment to a new file:
```
conda env export > environment.yml
```
NOTE: This file handles both the environment’s pip packagesand conda packages.
Email or copy the exported environment.yml file to theother person.

Creating an environment file manually¶

You can create an environment file manually to share with others.

EXAMPLE: A simple environment file:

name: statsdependencies: - numpy - pandas

EXAMPLE: A more complex environment file:

name: stats2channels: - javascriptdependencies: - python=3.4 # or 2.7 - bokeh=0.9.2 - numpy=1.9.* - nodejs=0.10.* - flask - pip: - Flask-Testing

You can exclude the default channels by adding nodefaultsto the channels list.

channels: - javascript - nodefaults

This is equivalent to passing the --override-channels optionto most conda commands.

Adding nodefaults to the channels list in environment.ymlis similar to removing defaults from the channelslist in the .condarc file. However,changing environment.yml affects only one of your condaenvironments while changing .condarc affects them all.

For details on creating an environment from thisenvironment.yml file, see Creating an environment from an environment.yml file.

Removing an environment¶

To remove an environment, in your Terminal window or anAnaconda Prompt, run:

conda remove --name myenv --all

(You may instead use conda env remove --name myenv.)

To verify that the environment was removed, in your Terminal window or anAnaconda Prompt, run:

conda info --envs

The environments list that displays should not show the removedenvironment.