Anaconda vs. miniconda

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Per the original docs:

Choose Anaconda if you:

  • Are new to conda or Python
  • Like the convenience of having Python and over 1500 scientific packages automatically installed at once
  • Have the time and disk space (a few minutes and 3 GB), and/or
  • Don’t want to install each of the packages you want to use individually.

Choose Miniconda if you:

  • Do not mind installing each of the packages you want to use
    individually.
  • Do not have time or disk space to install over 1500
    packages at once, and/or
  • Just want fast access to Python and the conda commands, and wish to sort out the other programs later.

I use Miniconda myself. Anaconda is bloated. Many of the packages are never used and could still be easily installed if and when needed.

Note that Conda is the package manager (e.g. conda list displays all installed packages in the environment), whereas Anaconda and Miniconda are distributions. A software distribution is a collection of packages, pre-built and pre-configured, that can be installed and used on a system. A package manager is a tool that automates the process of installing, updating, and removing packages.

Anaconda is a full distribution of the central software in the PyData ecosystem, and includes Python itself along with the binaries for several hundred third-party open-source projects. Miniconda is essentially an installer for an empty conda environment, containing only Conda, its dependencies, and Python. Source.

Once Conda is installed, you can then install whatever package you need from scratch along with any desired version of Python.

2-4.4.0.1 is the version number for your Anaconda installation package. Strangely, it is not listed in their Old Package Lists.

In April 2016, the Anaconda versioning jumped from 2.5 to 4.0 in order to avoid confusion with Python versions 2 & 3. Version 4.0 included the Anaconda Navigator.

Release notes for subsequent versions can be found here.

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