What is Anaconda
Anaconda is a free open-source Python distribution (as well as R programming language), intended for large-scale data processing and analysis, and scientific computing. Anaconda Python distribution is manged and developed by Continuum Analytics.
Anaconda (“Anaconda Distribution”) is a free, easy-to-install package manager, environment manager, Python distribution, and collection of over 720 open source packages with free community support. Hundreds more open source packages and their dependencies can be installed with a simple “conda install [packagename]”. It’s platform-agnostic, can be used on Windows, OS X and Linux. Or even easier.
Anaconda VS normal Python distribution
One salient feature is ‘conda’ the package manager. If offers much more as python package and environment utility compared to pip. You don’t have to install it separately, and plus offers virtualenv out of box. For more detailed comparison and conda usage – conda VS pip.
Secondly, if you’re into data processing, or some other form of scientific computing, Anaconda’s Python distribution is for you, as it come pre-packaged with all the scientific packages, namely Spyder, Numpy, Sympy, Scipy, Pytest, Matplotlib, and much more. Though you can have all of them installed for your regular Python distribution, but if you have done, you must be familiar with annoying time wasting challenges one face while installing these packages, either due to long download times, or version incompatibility, and more.
Setup
3.1 Download Anaconda
For Python 2.7
wget https://repo.continuum.io/archive/Anaconda2-4.3.0-Linux-x86_64.sh
For Python 3.3
wget https://repo.continuum.io/archive/Anaconda3-4.3.0-Linux-x86_64.sh
Output:
3.2 Install Anaconda
For Python 2.7
bash Anaconda2-4.3.0-Linux-x86_64.sh
For Python 3.3
bash Anaconda3-4.3.0-Linux-x86_64.sh
Output:
On pressing ENTER it’ll Install all the packages:
Next, you’ll be prompted for one last question “pre-pending Anaconda install to PATH” i.e. saying ‘yes’ will make Anaconda as your default Python interpreter, that when you start the Python interpreter by simply typing ‘python’ in the shell, you have the Anaconda interpreter started:
To verify, open a new terminal window/tab, hit ‘python’, and import numpy or scipy (by default not included in the regular Python distribution i.e. need to install them).
