Glossary — Anaconda Enterprise 4.4 documentation

Anaconda Enterprise: Documentation

# Glossary

- Anaconda
- Anaconda Cloud
- Anaconda Client CLI
- Binstar
- conda
- conda build
- conda package
- label
- Miniconda
- namespace
- noarch package
- on-site repository
- organization account
- package
- package manager
- repository
- source package
- token

## Anaconda

An easy-to-install, free collection of open source packages, including Python and the conda package manager, with free community support. Over 150 packages are installed with Anaconda. After installing Anaconda, you can install or update over 250 additional open source packages contained in the Anaconda repository using the `conda install PACKAGENAME` command.

NOTE: Replace `PACKAGENAME` with the name of the desired package.

## Anaconda Cloud

Anaconda Cloud is a package management service by Anaconda. Cloud makes it easy to find, access, store and share public and private notebooks, environments, and conda and PyPI packages. Cloud also makes it easy to stay current with updates made to the packages and environments you are using.

Cloud hosts hundreds of useful Python packages, notebooks and environments for a wide variety of applications. You do not need a Cloud account, or to be logged in, to search for public packages, download and install them.

For more information, see the introduction to Anaconda Cloud.

## Anaconda Client CLI

The Anaconda Client command line interface (CLI) allows you to log into Cloud directly from your terminal window and manage your account. It is not necessary for downloading or installing packages from Cloud.

## Binstar

Binstar was an early project name for Cloud. You may still see the term Binstar in certain command and directory names.

## conda

The conda package manager and environment manager program that installs and updates packages and their dependencies, and lets you easily switch between environments on your local computer.

## conda build

The command line interface that lets you build packages for your local operating system.

## conda package

A compressed file containing system-level libraries, Python modules, executable programs or other components. The file uses the tarball format.

## label

Part of the URLs on Cloud where conda looks for packages. Labels are searched only if you specify a label.

The default label is `main`, so packages that are uploaded without specifying a label are automatically labeled `main`. The version labeled `main` is also downloaded by default, unless a user specifies a different label.

So, if a file is labeled `main`, then the label name may be omitted from the URL. For example, the following repositories are equivalent:

    https://anaconda.org/sean/labels/main
    https://anaconda.org/sean

Commands such as `conda install` can be used with a channel or used with a channel and a label:

    conda install --channel sean selenium
    conda install --channel sean/label/dev selenium
    conda install --channel sean/label/stable selenium

## Miniconda

A minimal installer for conda. Like Anaconda, Miniconda is a software package that includes the conda package manager and Python and its dependencies. However, Miniconda does not include any other packages. Once conda is installed by installing either Anaconda or Miniconda, you can install other software packages directly from the command line using `conda install`.

## namespace

Each user and organization has their own location called a “namespace” where they may host packages. You can view the public packages in a user or organization’s namespace by navigating to their user page.

EXAMPLE: The `travis` user namespace located at `https://anaconda.org/travis` contains packages that were uploaded and shared by the user whose account is named `travis`.

## noarch package

A conda package that contains nothing specific to any system architecture, so it may be installed on any system. When conda searches for packages on any system in a channel, conda always checks both the system-specific subdirectory, for example, `linux-64` and the `noarch` directory.

## on-site repository

Cloud is powered by Anaconda Repository by Anaconda, Inc. You can run your own private repository behind firewalls or in air-gapped environments. For more information, contact sales@anaconda.com.

## organization account

An organization account is a type of account on Cloud that allows multiple individual users to administer packages and control package access to different user groups. It also includes a large amount of storage space.

## package

All files uploaded to Cloud are stored in packages. Each Cloud package is visible at its own unique URL based on the name of the user who owns the package and the name of the package.

For example, if a user `travis` uploads a test package named `testpkg`, it is visible at:

    https://anaconda.org/travis/testpkg

Cloud packages may contain multiple files, and these files may be data files such as comma separated value (CSV), tab separated value (TSV), or text (TXT), or package files such as conda packages, PyPI packages or R packages.

NOTE: All packages are public if uploaded by users of free accounts. Packages may be designated as private by upgrading to a paid account.

## package manager

A package manager is a tool that facilitates the process of installing, upgrading, configuring and removing packages, including the packages on Cloud. Cloud supports two package managers, conda and PyPI.

For more information, see using package managers.

## repository

A storage location from which software packages may be retrieved and installed on a computer.

## source package

“Source” packages are source code only, not yet built for any specific platform, and might be compatible with all, some or only one of the platforms.

## token

A token–or authentication token–is the mechanism by which anonymous users can download private packages without using a Cloud account. It is an alpha-numeric code that is inserted into a URL that allows access by anyone who has the URL. You can use Client to generate new tokens to give other users specifically scoped access to packages and collections.