Glossary¶
Anaconda¶
A downloadable, free, open-source, high-performance, optimized Python and R distribution with 250+ packages automatically included. Anaconda provides the option to easily install an additional 7,500+ open-source packages for data science, including advanced and scientific analytics.
Anaconda includes Anaconda Navigator and conda management utilities. Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. All versions are supported by the development community.
For more information on Anaconda Navigator, see Anaconda Navigator.
Anaconda.org¶
A web-based public repository hosting service in the cloud. Packages created locally can be published to your channel on Anaconda.org to be shared with the public. Paid subscriptions to Anaconda.org can designate packages as private, to be shared only with authorized users.
Anaconda Professional Repository¶
A private enterprise server on your network where both open source and proprietary packages may be stored and retrieved for installation on a local computer. Anaconda Professional Repository is different from Anaconda.org or the default conda repository. The Anaconda Professional Repository is used to govern access to data science assets, including packages and notebooks. It is available for commercial use both on-premises and in the cloud.
For further details, see Anaconda pricing.
Channels¶
The locations of the repositories where conda looks for packages, often on Anaconda.org. Channels may also be a private location on a remote or local repository that you or your organization manage.
Command line interface (CLI)¶
A program in which commands are entered as text, one line at a time, for a computer to execute. This is done in the Anaconda Prompt in Windows, and in a terminal in macOS and Linux. Conda is executed in a CLI. Contrast with Graphical User Interface (GUI).
Conda¶
A package and environment manager program that is packaged with Anaconda and run in a CLI <navigator-glossary-command-line-interface. Using conda, you can install and update conda packages and their dependencies, and switch between conda environments on your local computer. Contrast with Anaconda Navigator.
For more information on conda, see the conda documentation.
Conda environment¶
A folder or directory that contains a specific collection of conda packages and their dependencies, so they can be maintained and run independently without interfering with each other. Environments in Anaconda Navigator are conda environments.
For example, it can be useful to create one environment for packages that run on Python 2, and another for packages that run on Python 3.
Changes to one environment do not affect other environments. For example, if you upgrade a program in one environment, this will not upgrade the same program in another environment.
Conda package¶
An archive file that contains everything that a software program needs in order to be installed and run, so you do not have to manually find and install each dependency separately. This can include system-level libraries, Python modules, executable programs, and other components. Managed with conda or Anaconda Navigator. Packages in Anaconda Navigator are conda packages.
Conda repository¶
A cloud-based repository that contains 720+ open source certified packages
that are easily installed locally via the conda install command. Can be
viewed directly at https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/ and used within
Anaconda Navigator when downloading
and installing packages from their Environments tab, or by using
conda commands in
a CLI.
Graphical user interface (GUI)¶
A program with graphic images, icons, and menus into which commands are entered by clicking with a mouse and/or entering text in edit boxes. Anaconda Navigator is a graphical user interface that overlays the conda utility.
Miniconda¶
A minimal installer for conda that is run from a CLI.
Like Anaconda, Miniconda is a free software package that includes the conda
package and environment manager, but Miniconda does not include Anaconda,
Anaconda Navigator, or any packages other than those dependencies needed to
install Miniconda. After Miniconda is installed, additional conda packages may be
installed directly from the CLI with the command conda
install. See also Anaconda and
conda.
For more information on Miniconda, see the conda documentation.
Notebooks¶
Anaconda Notebooks is a hosted JupyterLab service, powered by PythonAnywhere, that enables you to run JupyterLab notebooks reliably online. The Notebooks service provides you with a hosted JupyterLab instance running in a dedicated JupyterHub environment, persistent cloud storage, pre-configured conda environments with common data science packages, and the ability to create your own custom environments.
For more information on Anaconda Notebooks, see <../anaconda-nucleus/anaconda-notebooks/index>.
Package manager¶
A collection of software tools that automates the process of installing, upgdating, configuring, and removing computer programs on a computer. Also known as a package management system. Anaconda Navigator includes the conda package manager with a GUI overlay for ease of use.
Packages¶
Software program 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.
R packages¶
Conda packages that install and run the R computer language. Examples include R Essentials, a bundle of 210 popular open source software programs written in the R computer language.
For more information, see <../anaconda/user-guide/tasks/using-r-language>.
Repository¶
Any storage location from which software or software assets may be retrieved and installed on a local computer. See also: Anaconda Repository and conda repository.