Anaconda

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Summary: Anaconda is a Python distribution featuring the package manager conda. According to their terms of service it cannot be used at the institute without a license.

Can I use Anaconda at the institute?

No.

According to their terms of service we (the Max Planck Society (MPS)) are not allowed to use "Anaconda's offerings" for free as we have more than 200 employees and none of their exceptions applies to our institute. Since the MPS has no licenses for Anaconda you are not allowed to use it. To prevent license violations we are blocking connections to Anaconda's package repository. To prevent disruption of the research process, the Anaconda package repository is still accessible from the institute. Please migrate away from channels at repo.anaconda.com as soon as possible! To continue using conda you can switch to Miniforge and the conda-forge Channel.

Are there alternatives?

For just installing Python packages

Yes, for most use cases (e.g. on our Linux systems) you can simply use the default python interpreter in combination with pip to manage python packages. Please have a look at our CUSTOMPYTHON environment to learn more about installing python packages to a personal software directory.

For more advanced use cases

In case you need Conda (e.g. for installing a different python interpreter version), you might want to install miniforge which can be used for free and does not use Anaconda's offerings. Miniforge can be installed without administrative privileges.

Please keep in mind that IT isn't specialized in research related software development and we do not use Conda. We'll help if we can but tracking down development related bugs is out of IT's scope.

How can I switch from Anaconda to Miniforge

There are different ways to switch from Anaconda to Miniforge. We are collecting instructions and examples in this git repository.