Conda tips

Installation

Instructions for installing conda on your system are available on https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/stable/user-guide/install/

Prioritise downloading packages from conda-forge

It is often better to use the conda-forge channel for the packages we commonly use to ensure that we install the most up-to-date versions of packages that are compatible with eachother. More info on conda-forge here

By default, conda will prioritize downloading from the default channel, which could lead to conflicts or unresolvable environments if mixed with installs from conda-forge

To ensure that conda always prioritises installing from conda forge,

1. edit the .condarc file in your home directory to prioritise conda-forge

    channel_priority: strict
    channels:
      - conda-forge
      - defaults
   

2. set the channel priority to strict

   conda config --set channel_priority strict