Anaconda (Python distribution)

Last updated
Anaconda
Developer(s) Anaconda, Inc. [1] (previously Continuum Analytics) [2]
Initial release0.8.0 [3] / 17 July 2012;12 years ago (2012-07-17)
Stable release
2024.02-1 / 26 February 2024;10 months ago (2024-02-26) [4]
Written in Python
Operating system Windows, macOS, Linux
Type Programming language, machine learning, data science
License Freemium (The Individual Edition is free software, [5] but the other editions are software as a service) [6] [7] [8]
Website anaconda.com   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Anaconda is an open source [9] [10] data science and artificial intelligence distribution platform for Python and R programming languages. Developed by Anaconda, Inc., [11] an American company [1] founded in 2012, [11] the platform is used to develop and manage data science and AI projects. [9] In 2024, Anaconda Inc. has about 300 employees [12] and 45 million users. [13]

Contents

History

Co-founded in Austin, Texas [1] in 2012 [14]   as Continuum Analytics by Peter Wang and Travis Oliphant, [10]  Anaconda Inc. operates from the United States [15]  and Europe. [14]

Anaconda Inc. developed Conda, [16] a cross-platform, [17] language-agnostic [18] binary [14] package manager. [19] It also launched PyData community workshops and the Jupyter Cloud Notebook service (Wakari.io). [14] In 2013, it received funding from DARPA. [20] In 2015, the company had two million users including 200 of the Fortune 500 companies [10]  and raised $24 million in a Series A funding round led by General Catalyst and BuildGroup. [21] Anaconda secured an additional $30 million in funding in 2021. [22]

Continuum Analytics rebranded as Anaconda in 2017. [23] That year, it announced the release of Anaconda Enterprise 5, [24] an integration with Microsoft Azure, [14] and had over 13 million users by year's end. [25]

In 2022, it released Anaconda Business; [26] new integrations with Snowflake and others; [27] and the open-source PyScript. [28] It also acquired PythonAnywhere, [29]  while Anaconda's user base exceeded 30 million in 2022. [27] In 2023, Anaconda released Python in Excel, a new integration with Microsoft Excel, [30] and launched PyScript.com. [28]

The company made a series of investments in AI during 2024. [31]  That February, Anaconda partnered with IBM to import its repository of Python packages into Watsonx, IBM's generative AI platform. [32] The same year, Anaconda joined IBM's AI Alliance [14] and released an integration with Teradata [33] and Lenovo. [34]

In 2024, Anaconda's user base reached 45 million users [13]  and Barry Libert was named company CEO, [14] after serving on Anaconda's board of directors. [35]

Overview

Anaconda distribution comes with over 300 packages automatically installed, and over 7,500 additional open-source packages can be installed from the Anaconda repository [36] as well as the Conda package and virtual environment manager. It also includes a GUI, Anaconda Navigator, [37] as a graphical alternative to the command-line interface (CLI). [38]

Conda was developed to address dependency conflicts native to the pip package manager, which would automatically install any dependent Python packages without checking for conflicts with previously installed packages [39] (until its version 20.3, which later implemented consistent dependency resolution). [40] The Conda package manager's historical differentiation analyzed and resolved these installation conflicts. [39]

Anaconda is a distribution of the Python and R programming languages for scientific computing (data science, machine learning applications, large-scale data processing, predictive analytics, etc.), that aims to simplify package management and deployment. Anaconda distribution includes data-science packages suitable for Windows, Linux, and macOS. [11] Other company products include Anaconda Free, and subscription-based Starter, Business and Enterprise. [9] Anaconda's business tier offers Package Security Manager. [41]

Package versions in Anaconda are managed by the package management system Conda, [42] which was spun out as a separate open-source package as useful both independently and for applications other than Python. [43] There is also a small, bootstrap version of Anaconda called Miniconda, which includes only Conda, Python, the packages they depend on, and a small number of other packages. [44]

Open source packages can be individually installed from the Anaconda repository, [45] Anaconda Cloud (anaconda.org), or the user's own private repository or mirror, using the conda install command. Anaconda, Inc. compiles and builds the packages available in the Anaconda repository itself, and provides binaries for Windows 32/64 bit, Linux 64 bit and MacOS 64-bit (Intel, Apple Silicon). Anything available on PyPI may be installed into a Conda environment using pip, and Conda will keep track of what it has installed and what pip has installed.[ citation needed ] Custom packages can be made using the conda build command, and can be shared with others by uploading them to Anaconda Cloud, [46] PyPI or other repositories.[ citation needed ]

The default installation of Anaconda2 includes Python 2.7 and Anaconda3 includes Python 3.7. However, it is possible to create new environments that include any version of Python packaged with Conda. [47]

Anaconda Navigator

Anaconda Navigator Anaconda.Starting page.png
Anaconda Navigator

Anaconda Navigator is a desktop graphical user interface (GUI) included in Anaconda distribution that allows users to launch applications and manage Conda packages, environments and channels without using command-line commands. Navigator can search for packages on Anaconda Cloud or in a local Anaconda Repository, install them in an environment, run the packages and update them. [38] It is available for Windows, macOS and Linux. [18] [48]

The following applications are available by default in Navigator: [48]

Conda

Conda is an open source, [16] cross-platform, [17] language-agnostic [18] package manager and environment management system [19] [20] [50] that installs, runs, and updates packages and their dependencies. [16] It was created for Python programs, but it can package and distribute software for any language (e.g., R), including multi-language projects. [18] The Conda package and environment manager is included in all versions of Anaconda, Miniconda, [51] and Anaconda Repository. [45]

Anaconda.org

Anaconda Cloud is a package management service by Anaconda where users can find, access, store and share public and private notebooks, environments, and Conda and PyPI packages. [52] Cloud hosts useful Python packages, notebooks and environments for a wide variety of applications. Users do not need to log in or to have a Cloud account, to search for public packages, download and install them. Users can build new Conda packages using Conda-build and then use the Anaconda Client CLI upload packages to Anaconda.org. [53] Notebooks users can be aided with writing and debugging code with Anaconda's AI Assistant. [54]

See also

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References

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  2. ↑ Collison, Scott (2017-06-28). "Continuum Analytics Officially Becomes Anaconda". Anaconda Inc. corporate website. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  3. ↑ "Release notes — Anaconda 2.0 documentation". Archived from the original on 2018-10-12. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
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  26. ↑ "Anaconda | Introducing Anaconda Business: Enhanced Open-Source…". Anaconda. 2022-04-13. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
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  28. 1 2 "Anaconda | Anaconda Launches PyScript.com, Democratizes Python for All". Anaconda. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
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  30. ↑ "Anaconda Brings Python to Excel, Enhancing Data Manipulation and Visualization". BigDATAwire. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
  31. ↑ "Anaconda Unveils AI Incubator and Announces Executive Leadership Revamp". BigDATAwire. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
  32. ↑ "Anaconda Partners with IBM watsonx to Deliver Enterprise Scale AI Solutions".
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  35. ↑ Woodie, Alex (2024-05-07). "Anaconda Rejiggers Approach to Boost Growth Under New CEO". BigDATAwire. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
  36. ↑ https://docs.anaconda.com/working-with-conda/packages/install-packages/
  37. ↑ "Anaconda Navigator". docs.anaconda.com.
  38. 1 2 https://www.anaconda.com/products/navigator
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  40. ↑ "User Guide - pip documentation v21.1.dev0". pip.pypa.io. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  41. ↑ https://docs.anaconda.com/psm-cloud/
  42. ↑ "Conda – Conda documentation" . Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  43. ↑ "What's the difference between Anaconda, conda, and Miniconda?". FAQ - Bioconda documentation. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  44. ↑ "Miniconda". conda.io. Archived from the original on 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  45. 1 2 "Anaconda repository". anaconda.org.
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  47. ↑ "Managing Python with conda". conda.io. Archived from the original on 2018-06-13. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
  48. 1 2 "What application can I access using navigator?". docs.anaconda.com.
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  53. ↑ https://pypi.org/project/conda-build/
  54. ↑ "Anaconda Assistant Launches to Bring Instant Data Analysis, Code Generation, and Insights to Users". BigDATAwire. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
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