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conda-forge is a community effort that provides conda packages for a wide range of software. It is a single shared channel on anaconda.org, run by volunteers, that the conda package manager can install from. This guide is for researchers who need to install software from conda-forge into a clean environment, keep that environment consistent, and diagnose the usual problems when channels are mixed. Details were checked against the conda-forge documentation on 2026-11-07.
What is conda-forge?
conda-forge (also searched as “conda forge”) is a community-maintained channel of conda packages. A channel is the location a package manager searches for packages; conda-forge is one shared channel rather than many separate ones. Anyone can contribute a package to it, and the contributor does not need to be the maintainer of the upstream software. Packages are built by default for macOS, Linux (AMD64) and Windows (AMD64); other architectures can be requested.
It is separate from the defaults channel, which the Anaconda team maintains. The two are different sets of builds, which matters when you combine them (see Troubleshooting).
What conda-forge is used for in research
- Installing research software and its compiled dependencies with one command, so analysis environments can be rebuilt on another machine.
- Reproducibility. An environment that lists conda-forge explicitly as its channel can be shared and recreated; see sharing a reproducible conda environment and the CASRAI definitions of computational reproducibility and computational environment.
- Combining with other community channels. The conda-forge documentation notes that channel order matters when conda-forge is combined with channels such as bioconda.
Install or access (official source only)
Two routes are documented by conda-forge.
Option 1: Miniforge (recommended by conda-forge)
Miniforge includes conda, mamba and their dependencies. Installers listed on conda-forge.org/download include Miniforge3-Darwin-arm64.sh, Miniforge3-Darwin-x86_64.sh, Miniforge3-Linux-x86_64.sh, Miniforge3-Linux-aarch64.sh, Miniforge3-Linux-ppc64le.sh and Miniforge3-Windows-x86_64.exe. On macOS and Linux run:
bash Miniforge3-$(uname)-$(uname -m).shOn Windows, run the .exe installer. The project is hosted at github.com/conda-forge/miniforge.
Option 2: add conda-forge to an existing conda installation
This needs conda 4.9 or later. Check with conda --version and update with conda update conda. The documentation also advises against installing into the base environment.
Step-by-step: use conda-forge as your channel
- Check the conda version:
conda --version. If it is older than 4.9, runconda update conda. - Add the channel:
conda config --add channels conda-forge - Set strict channel priority:
conda config --set channel_priority strict - Create a new environment rather than using base, then activate it (standard conda commands, for example
conda create -n myenvandconda activate myenv). - Install a package:
conda install <package-name> - Confirm what was installed and from which channel with
conda list.
The same settings can be kept in a .condarc file:
channel_priority: strict
channels:
- conda-forge
- defaultsTo install from a specific channel label, the documentation gives this form: conda install -c conda-forge/label/mpi-external mpich.
If you prefer the faster solver, the conda-forge FAQ suggests strict channel priority or the mamba solver for faster installs; see mamba vs conda.
Output and how to read it
conda list prints each installed package with its version, build string and the channel it came from. Use the channel column to confirm that dependencies came from conda-forge. To check which priority mode is active, run conda config --describe channel_priority.
With strict priority, conda-forge’s documentation says all dependencies come from the conda-forge channel unless they exist only on defaults. The documentation also states that strict becomes the default in conda 5.0.
Troubleshooting
Import errors after installing from mixed channels
The conda-forge documentation states that conda-forge and defaults “are not 100% compatible”, and that mismatched builds (for example of icu) can cause runtime import errors. Inspect the channel and build of each package with conda list, set channel_priority: strict, and rebuild the environment from a single channel order.
A new release is not available yet
Each package has its own repository named conda-forge/<package-name>-feedstock, built on continuous integration. New packages enter through a pull request to the staged-recipes repository (a recipe in a new subdirectory of recipes/); merging triggers feedstock creation. According to the FAQ, new uploads typically appear on anaconda.org within 30 minutes to 2 hours, and if nothing appears after 24 hours you should raise an issue.
Where to ask
conda-forge lists Zulip as its contact route.
Free alternatives and related options
| Option | What it is, per the conda-forge documentation |
|---|---|
| conda-forge channel | Community-provided conda packages in one shared channel; anyone can contribute. |
defaults channel |
Separate channel maintained by the Anaconda team; not 100% compatible with conda-forge builds. |
| Miniforge | Installer that includes conda and mamba, recommended by conda-forge over Anaconda Distribution. |
| Bioconda alongside conda-forge | Can be combined, but channel order matters. |
For a Python-focused environment, see the CASRAI guide to Bioinformatics Python setup.
FAQ
What is conda forge?
conda-forge is a community effort that provides conda packages for a wide range of software, delivered through one shared channel.
What is conda-forge versus conda?
conda is the package and environment manager; conda-forge is one channel it can install from. You add the channel with conda config --add channels conda-forge.
How do I install packages from conda-forge?
Add the channel, set strict priority, create a new environment, then run conda install <package-name>. Full steps are above.
Where do I download it?
Miniforge installers are listed at conda-forge.org/download. You can also add the channel to an existing conda of version 4.9 or later.
Is conda-forge the same as the defaults channel?
No. The Anaconda team maintains defaults separately, and the two are not fully compatible.
