written by Eric J. Ma on 2023-10-07 | tags: conda anaconda miniforge python distribution data science pip tooling python
In this blog post, I discuss the differences between the Anaconda, Miniconda, and Miniforge distributions of Python. Anaconda is the official distribution from Anaconda and comes with a wide range of data science packages. Miniconda is a smaller version of Anaconda, intended for use in Docker containers. Miniforge, developed by the conda-forge team, pulls packages from the conda-forge repository and includes mamba. The choice of distribution depends on your needs and preferences, with Miniforge being recommended for lightweight and open-source use, and Anaconda for enterprise support and backing the Python open source world.
Note: This is an excerpt from my Data Science Bootstrap Notes, which is freely available online here. If you find the notes useful and wish to support my work, please consider either purchasing a digital copy on LeanPub or sending coffee money via GitHub Sponsor or Patreon.
If you're a conda
user, you may have heard of the Anaconda distribution of Python.
In this set of notes, however, I've also referenced the Miniforge distribution of Python.
What's the difference here?
How do you pick which one to use?
To answer those questions, we must first understand what is a distribution of Python.
Python can get distributed to users in many ways. You can download it directly from the official Python Software Foundation's (PSF) website. Or you can install it onto your system using the official Anaconda installer, through Homebrew, or through your official Linux package manager. Each way of installing Python can be thought of as a distribution of Python. Each distribution of Python differs ever so slightly. Official Python from the PSF comes with just the standard library. Anaconda, however, ships with the standard library and many other packages that are relevant for data science.
What is common across all Python distributions, however,
is that it will ship with a Python executable that, at the end of installation,
should be discoverable on your PATH
environment variable.
Most commonly, there will be a Python package installer
that ships with the distribution as well.
This can be pip
, the official tool for installing Python packages,
or it could be conda
, which was developed by the company Anaconda.
As such, the anatomy of a distribution is essentially nothing more than:
PATH
,With that aside, let's look at three distributions of Python that are relevant to this set of notes.
The Anaconda distribution of Python is the official distribution from Anaconda.
It ships with a modern version of Python,
both pip
and conda
package managers,
and a whole slew of default data science packages
(pandas
, numpy
, scikit-learn
, scipy
, matplotlib
, for example).
With the Anaconda distribution,
conda
is configured such that
packages are installed from the anaconda
repository of packages,
hosted by Anaconda itself.
Its default installation location is ~/anaconda
or ~/anaconda3
.
The Miniconda Python distribution also comes from Anaconda.
It looks like Anaconda except it ships with fewer packages in the base environment.
You wouldn't, for example, find pandas
installed for you.
This was mostly intended to keep the base environment small for use within Docker containers.
Its default installation location is ~/miniconda
or ~/miniconda3
.
This distribution of Python comes from the open-source developer team behind conda-forge
.
Miniforge looks like Miniconda, but instead of configuring conda
to pull packages from the anaconda
repository,
conda
packages are instead pulled from the conda-forge
repository of packages by default.
This has the advantage of being able to pull more bleeding-edge versions of packages that you may use.
Additionally, Miniforge Python ships with mamba
as well.
Here's a summary table of these features.
Attribute | Anaconda Python | Miniconda Python | Miniforge Python |
---|---|---|---|
Origin | Official distribution from Anaconda | Comes from Anaconda | From open-source developer team behind conda-forge |
Version of Python | Modern | Similar to Anaconda | Similar to Miniconda |
Package Managers | pip and conda |
Similar to Anaconda | pip , conda and mamba |
Default Data Science Packages | pandas , numpy , scikit-learn , scipy , matplotlib |
Fewer packages (e.g., pandas not pre-installed) |
Similar to Miniconda |
Conda Configuration | Pulls from anaconda repository |
Pulls from anaconda repository |
Pulls from conda-forge repository by default |
Primary Use Case | General-purpose with lots of pre-installed data science packages | Keeping base environment small, e.g., for Docker containers | Access to bleeding-edge versions of packages. |
Tip: All of the distributions can be installed into the ~/anaconda
directory
if you desire consistent behaviour regardless of the installation source.
All three installers provide the -p
flag when executing it,
thus allowing us to specify the prefix directory in which to install.
We would thus do something like:
bash Miniforge3.sh -b -p "${HOME}/anaconda"
Depends on your persona! If you're an indie hacker type, I would strongly recommend the Miniforge Python as it is lightweight and fast to get set up with and fully open source. On the other hand, if you're more inclined to want enterprise support, vetting of packages, and wish to support a company that backs so much of the Python open source world, then I would recommend reaching out to Anaconda and talking with their sales reps.
@article{
ericmjl-2023-how-python,
author = {Eric J. Ma},
title = {How to choose a (conda) distribution of Python},
year = {2023},
month = {10},
day = {07},
howpublished = {\url{https://ericmjl.github.io}},
journal = {Eric J. Ma's Blog},
url = {https://ericmjl.github.io/blog/2023/10/7/how-to-choose-a-conda-distribution-of-python},
}
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