conda-compare

Compare packages in the current directory to packages from the file file.yml

$ conda compare file.yml

$ conda compare [[-n|--name]] myenv [path/to/file.yml]

$ conda compare [[-p|--prefix]] [path/to/myenv] [path/to/file.yml]

$ conda compare [[-h|--help]]

conda-compare [OPTIONS] ENV_SPEC1 [ENV_SPEC2]

--format {console,yaml,json}
    Output format. [default: console]

--keys KEY1[,KEY2,...]
    Keys to compare. [default: name,version,build]

--diff-only
    Only output specs that differ

--summary
    Show a summary of the comparison

--color
    Force color output

--no-color
    Disable color output

--version
    Show the version and exit

--help
    Show this message and exit

conda-compare is a command-line tool for comparing two conda environments or specification files, such as environment.yml. It identifies differences in packages, versions, builds, and channels, aiding in debugging, migration, and change tracking.

Users specify two inputs—environment directories or YAML files—and receive a structured diff. Outputs include human-readable console diffs with color coding, YAML, or JSON for scripting. Key customization via --keys focuses comparison on attributes like name, version, or build. Modes like --diff-only hide matches, while --summary provides stats on added, removed, or changed packages.

Ideal for CI/CD, team collaboration, or ensuring reproducibility across systems. Handles pinned specs and extras. Installed via conda-forge, it integrates seamlessly with conda workflows without core dependencies.

Third-party tool; install via conda install -c conda-forge conda-compare. Inputs must be valid env dirs or YAML files.

conda install -c conda-forge conda-compare

conda-compare ~/env1 ~/env2
conda-compare --diff-only --summary env1.yml env2.yml

Released ~2020 on conda-forge; actively maintained for conda ecosystem compatibility.

conda(1), mamba(1)