Managing environments

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 update environments that have different versions of Python and/or packages installed in them. Switching or moving between environments is called activating the environment. You can also share an environment file.

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

Creating an environment with commands

TIP: By default, environments are installed into the envs directory in your conda directory. Run conda create --help for 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/. This environment uses the same version of Python that you are currently 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 python
conda 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 python
conda install -n myenv scipy=0.15.0

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

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

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

To automatically install pip or another program every time a new environment is created, add the default programs to the create_default_packages section of your .condarc configuration file. The default packages are installed every time you create a new environment. If you do not want 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’s name. 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.
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 clone of 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 that you want to copy.

To verify that the copy was made:

conda info --envs

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

Building identical conda environments

You can use explicit specification files to build an identical conda environment on the same operating system platform, either on 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
@EXPLICIT
https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/mkl-11.3.3-0.tar.bz2
https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/numpy-1.11.1-py35_0.tar.bz2
https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/openssl-1.0.2h-1.tar.bz2
https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/pip-8.1.2-py35_0.tar.bz2
https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/python-3.5.2-0.tar.bz2
https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/readline-6.2-2.tar.bz2
https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/setuptools-25.1.6-py35_0.tar.bz2
https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/sqlite-3.13.0-0.tar.bz2
https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/tk-8.5.18-0.tar.bz2
https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/wheel-0.29.0-py35_0.tar.bz2
https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/free/osx-64/xz-5.2.2-0.tar.bz2
https://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 working directory, run:
```
conda list --explicit > spec-file.txt
```
NOTE: You can use spec-file.txt as the filename or replace it with a filename of your choice.

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

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

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

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

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

Conda does not check architecture or dependencies when installing from 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 and platform, 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 one environment 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 currently using—is shown in parentheses () or brackets [] at the beginning of your command prompt:

(myenv) $

If you do not see this, run:

conda info --envs

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

By default, the command prompt is set to show the name of the active environment. To disable this option:

conda config --set changeps1 false

To re-enable this option:

conda config --set changeps1 true

Viewing a list of your environments

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

conda info --envs

conda env list

A list similar to the following is displayed:

conda environments:
myenv                 /home/username/miniconda/envs/myenv
snowflakes            /home/username/miniconda/envs/snowflakes
bunnies               /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 an Anaconda Prompt, run:
```
conda list -n myenv
```
If the environment is activated, in your Terminal window or an Anaconda Prompt, run:
```
conda list
```

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

conda list -n myenv scipy

Using pip in an environment

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

conda install -n myenv pip
source activate myenv
pip <pip_subcommand>

Saving environment variables

Conda environments can include saved environment variables.

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

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

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

Windows

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

Enter that directory and create these subdirectories and files:

cd %CONDA_PREFIX%
mkdir .\etc\conda\activate.d
mkdir .\etc\conda\deactivate.d
type NUL > .\etc\conda\activate.d\env_vars.bat
type 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 variables MY_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 and files:

cd $CONDA_PREFIX
mkdir -p ./etc/conda/activate.d
mkdir -p ./etc/conda/deactivate.d
touch ./etc/conda/activate.d/env_vars.sh
touch ./etc/conda/deactivate.d/env_vars.sh

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

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

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

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

You may want to share your environment with someone else—for example, so they can re-create a test that you have done. To allow them to quickly reproduce your environment, with all of its packages and versions, give them a copy of your environment.yml file.

Exporting the environment file

NOTE: If you already have an environment.yml file in your current 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 packages and conda packages.
Email or copy the exported environment.yml file to the other person.

Creating an environment file manually

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

EXAMPLE: A simple environment file:

name: stats
dependencies:
  - numpy
  - pandas

EXAMPLE: A more complex environment file:

name: stats2
channels:
  - javascript
dependencies:
  - 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 nodefaults to the channels list.

channels:
  - javascript
  - nodefaults

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

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

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