conda-env

Create an environment from an environment file (YAML, TXT, etc.)

$ conda env create [[-f|--file]] [path/to/file]

$ conda env remove [[-n|--name]] [environment_name]

$ conda env update [[-f|--file]] [path/to/file] --prune

$ conda env list

$ conda env export

$ conda env config vars list

$ conda env config vars set [my_var]=[value]

conda env <SUBCOMMAND> [options] [arguments]

create
    Create a new environment from YAML file (--file) or package list

export
    Export current environment spec to stdout or file (--file)

list
    List all environments (default shows active with *)

remove
    Delete environment(s) by name or prefix

clone
    Duplicate environment (--clone-source for source)

--name
    Environment name (e.g., myenv)

--prefix
    Full path to environment directory

--file
    YAML file with environment spec

--dry-run
    Show actions without executing

--json
    Output in JSON format

--help
    Show help for command or subcommand

--version
    Display conda version

The conda env command is a powerful subcommand of Conda for creating, listing, exporting, removing, and cloning isolated environments. These environments encapsulate specific Python versions, packages, and dependencies, preventing conflicts across projects.

Ideal for data science, machine learning, and scientific computing, it supports reproducible setups via YAML files. For instance, environments can include non-Python packages like CUDA, R, or system libraries.

Unlike pip's virtualenv, Conda handles binary dependencies cross-platform (Linux, macOS, Windows). Activation switches shells to use the environment's binaries and Python. Common workflows involve creating from environment.yml, exporting for sharing, and cleaning up unused envs to save disk space.

Environments default to $CONDA_PREFIX/envs/<name>. Shared options like --name and --prefix apply across subcommands, with --dry-run for previews and --json for automation.

Requires Conda installation (Anaconda/Miniconda). User must have write access to env directory. Activation modifies PATH; use conda init for shell integration. Large envs consume significant disk space.

conda activate <name> or conda activate ./env
conda deactivate to exit

conda env create --file environment.yml
conda env export > environment.yml
conda env list

Introduced in 2012 with Conda 1.0 as part of Anaconda. Evolved in Conda 4.4 (2017) with environment.yml support and export enhancements. Now core to modern reproducible research workflows.

conda(1), mamba(1), virtualenv(1), pip(1)