Intro
What version of Python do you normally use? If you are like me, that may be a bit of a complicated question to answer. I personally use Python 3 for my day-to-day use (scripting, writing quick pseudocode, tediously practicing interview questions, etc.), because my school’s intro CS class was taught using Python 3. However, when I was learning Python initially, using MIT’s edX course in computer programming, I used Python 2 for a similar reason–the course was taught using Python 2. And when I work on my project at Berkeley’s Institute of Data Science, I again use Python 2. Even though Python’s developers themselves say that “Python 3 is the present and future of the language”, a lot of projects and individual people just haven’t transitioned. As a result it’s sometimes a nuisance to keep track of which version of Python I am supposed to use.
However, with the work done on Anaconda by the good folks at Continuum, this issue turns trivial! On the surface, Anaconda provides a huge compendium of Python libaries, but it also gives you the ability to create Python virtual environments! With this, not only can you easily switch between Python 2 and Python 3 in your terminal whenever you switch projects, you can even create special environments with specific dependencies for each specific project you work on! This simplifies things a great deal. While things like virtualenv exist, Anaconda is superior in that it combines the easy library-installation perks of pip with the easy environment-switching perks of virtualenv, allowing you to seamlessly switch between environments, create new ones, and install dependendencies. It is a “one-command-fit-all” for managing environments and installing packages. For more details, you can see this handy chart.
In this tutorial, we will go over the basics of using Anaconda’s environment manager, Conda, in terminal.
Prerequisites/Assumptions:
- You are using OS X
- You are familiar with the Unix terminal
- You have Python installed
A Note
This tutorial only goes over the basics of Conda, enough for you to get up and running with your newly-aquired virtual-environment-jitsu skills. However, if you want to explore further, Conda’s docs for any command can be accessed with the --help tag. For example,
$ conda list --help
tells you exactly what conda list is and how it works.
Installing Anaconda
If you already have Anaconda installed, you can skip this part
Installing Anaconda is relatively painless. Just go to the website and follow the instructions to download and install.
Creating Environments
We will create two environments, so we can practice switching between virtual environments. To create our first environment, type
$ conda create --name your_environment_name python=2
This will create a virtual environment in Python 2 named your_environment_name. When Conda asks you
proceed ([y]/n)?
Hit y. Then, we will create our second environment.
$ conda create --name second_environment_name python=3 babel
This time, we created an environment in Python 3, with babel installed. To explore more commands, type conda create --help.
Listing Environments
To see what environments you have, type
$ conda env list
You will get a display of something like this:
# conda environments:
#
your_environment_name /Users/justinmi/anaconda3/envs/python2
second_environment_name /Users/justinmi/anaconda3/envs/python3
root * /Users/justinmi/anaconda3
This shows that I have 2 environments–one named your_environment_name that runs Python 2 and one named second_environment_name that runs Python 3. I am currently on my root environment, so there is a * next to the root environment directory. If I switch environments, the * will switch accordingly.
Switching Environments
Switching environments is the crux of what makes virtual environments so great. Let’s switch to your_environment_name first.
$ source activate your_environment_name
You will notice that after a short pause, your terminal prompt changes! Now, (your_environment_name) is prepended to the prompt! That is a subtle reminder that your current environment is your_environment_name. When you type python in your terminal, you will get the Python 2 interpreter. In addtion, if you check conda env list, you will notice that the * changes postion accordingly:
# conda environments:
#
your_environment_name * /Users/justinmi/anaconda3/envs/python2
second_environment_name /Users/justinmi/anaconda3/envs/python3
root /Users/justinmi/anaconda3
Okay, now let’s deactivate the environment. Type
$ source deactivate
Now the parenthesis disappears and you are back in the root environment. You can type conda env list again to make sure. To activate the other environment, we do the same thing:
$ source activate second_environment_name
And if we type python in the terminal, we will see that now we have the Python 3 interpreter! We can now run programs in Python 3.
Working with Packages
Let’s say we want to install the numpy package. Let’s search for it first, to make sure that it is in the Anaconda index. Type
$ conda search numpy
You will get a huge list of all the versions of numpy you can download. To download it, type
$ conda install numpy
This will install numpy on whatever environment you are currently on. To install on a different environment, type
$ conda install --name second_environment_name numpy
If you can’t find a package through conda search, it is likely that Anaconda does not have access to that package. In that case, you can use the pip package installer, and it will still install to the current environment.
To check what packages you currently have installed on your current environment, enter
$ conda list
Let’s say we want to remove numpy. We will just enter
$ conda remove numpy
Removing Virtual Environments
Let’s say we don’t need your_environment_name anymore. We will just type
$ conda remove --name your_environment_name --all
We can type conda env list to double-check.
Wrap Up and Summary
And that’s the long and short of it! Hopefully, now you can see why Conda’s virtual environment manager is so powerful, and you can switch between projects in Python 2 and Python 3 like a pro!