How to Install Miniconda on Ubuntu and Manage Python Environments Efficiently

Introduction

This article explains how to install Miniconda on Ubuntu, why Miniconda is preferred over the larger Anaconda distribution, and how to use conda to manage Python environments.

Why use conda to create Python environments

Linux distributions often ship with Python 2, and upgrading to Python 3 can be cumbersome because the system Python cannot be removed. Conda allows you to create isolated Python 3 environments without affecting the system interpreter, and the pip inside the environment will not conflict with the system pip.

Download

Official download page:

https://docs.conda.io/en/latest/miniconda.html

Transfer files between Windows and Linux with WinSCP

Instead of command‑line tools, the article recommends using the graphical WinSCP client to drag and drop files between a Windows PC and a Linux server.

Install WinSCP.

Open the program.

Connect to the Linux host and drag files to the desired location.

Install Miniconda

After transferring the Miniconda installer to the Linux machine, run: bash Miniconda3-latest-Linux-x86_64.sh Accept the license, choose the default installation path (press Enter), and allow the installer to initialize the environment and add it to .bashrc. When the installation finishes, refresh the shell with: source .bashrc Running conda should now display the conda help, confirming a successful installation.

Where Miniconda is installed

The default location is the user's home directory, so deleting everything with rm -rf * would remove Miniconda and require re‑installation.

The (base) environment prompt

After sourcing .bashrc, the shell prompt shows (base), indicating the base conda environment is active. To hide it, run:

conda deactivate

conda config --set auto_activate_base false

These commands deactivate the base environment and prevent it from being auto‑activated in new sessions.

Common conda commands

Basic commands (Linux and Windows):

# Show conda version
conda -V
# Update conda
conda update conda
# List environments
conda env list
# List installed packages
conda list
# Search for a package
conda search package_name
# Install a package
conda install package_name
# Install a specific version
conda install package_name=1.5.0
# Update a package
conda update package_name
# Remove a package
conda remove package_name

Create a virtual environment

conda create --name <env_name> [python_version] [package_name]

Parameters: env_name: name of the environment python_version: optional Python version package_name: optional initial packages

Examples:

# Create an environment named spider
conda create --name spider
# Create spider with Python 3.6
conda create --name spider python=3.6
# Create spider with requests and scrapy
conda create --name spider requests scrapy
# Create spider with Python 3.6 and requests
conda create --name spider python=3.6 requests

Activate a virtual environment

conda activate <env_name>

Example:

conda activate spider

Deactivate a virtual environment

conda deactivate

Install third‑party packages

After activating the desired environment, install packages with pip (the pip inside the environment will be used):

Activate the environment: conda activate <env_name> Install the package:

pip install <package_name>

Conclusion

The article first explains why conda is a convenient way to create isolated Python environments, then shows how to transfer the Miniconda installer with WinSCP, install Miniconda on Ubuntu, and use essential conda commands for environment and package management.