Conda

Conda will in this context be used to describe a conda command provider. The programs listed here, all provide this conda command, which it-self enables the installation and environment management commands required for a seamless usage of open-source software.

When people refer to Conda, some mean Miniconda, others Anaconda, and some even Miniforge. However, generally users do not care if the conda provider is one or the other.

Similarly, when software recommends one or the other, it will likely still be installable by using any of the other providers. So please select the provider once, and adapt installation procedures as noted in the below sections.

Anaconda

Danger

Anaconda installations default to download content from a channel that is licensed, i.e. not free!

The terms of service has this small snippet (as of January 2025):

Your registration, download, use, installation, access, or enjoyment

of all Anaconda Offerings on behalf of an organization that has two

hundred (200) or more employees or contractors (“Organizational Use”)

requires a paid license of Anaconda Business or Anaconda Enterprise.

For sake of clarity, use by government entities and nonprofit entities

with over 200 employees or contractors is considered Organizational Use.

This means that in order to install and use software provided through the Anaconda channels (which is the default!) is requiring one to pay for the software.

DTU does not recommend the installation of Anaconda since any non-teaching use will violate their terms of service.

Instead please follow the installation instructions here which will ensure that you are only installing things from the conda-forge channel, which is free.

Miniconda

While Miniconda is hosted, and maintained by the Anaconda company, it can be used in a free form by changing the default channel to conda-forge.

Danger

One will have to change the default channel just after installation to ensure no terms of service violation.

Miniconda will be installed if you follow the installation instructions.

The change is a one-time change that defaults the installation sources to the correct tree.

conda config --add channels conda-forge
conda config --remove channels defaults

Attention

Please be aware of installation instructions that install packages from the Anaconda channels. If in doubt, feel free to contact us.

Miniforge

This conda provider defaults to not use any Anaconda channels, and will thus be the easiest one to ensure no license violations.