.. _anaconda_glossary:

========
Glossary
========

.. glossary::

   Anaconda
      A downloadable, free, open source, high-performance, optimized Python and 
      R distribution with 100+ packages plus easy access to an 
      additional 620+ popular open source packages for data science including 
      advanced and scientific analytics. It also includes :term:`conda <Conda>`, an open source 
      package, dependency and environment manager. Thousands more open source 
      packages can be installed with the ``conda`` command. Available for Windows, 
      macOS and Linux, all versions are supported by the community. 

   Anaconda Cloud
      A web-based repository hosting service in the cloud. Packages created 
      locally can be published to the cloud to be shared with others. Free 
      accounts on Cloud can publish packages to be shared publicly. 
      Paid subscriptions to Cloud can designate packages as private to 
      be shared with authorized users. Cloud is Continuum Analytics's 
      :term:`Anaconda Repository` product made available to the public. 
      Repository is also available for purchase by companies that wish to 
      power their own on-premise version of Cloud. See 
      `product comparison <https://www.continuum.io/anaconda-subscriptions>`_. 

   Anaconda cluster management
      The cluster manager that makes it easy to install packages, dependencies 
      and environments on a Hadoop or a HPC cluster. The cluster manager is  
      bundled with paid Anaconda subscriptions and integrates with the on-premises  
      :term:`Anaconda Repository` or the :term:`conda repository <Conda repository>`.
      The cluster manager is purchased for a specific set of nodes in the cluster.
      The cluster manager can be tried out by downloading the 4-node cluster manager 
      from :term:`Anaconda Cloud`. 

   Anaconda Fusion
      Anaconda Fusion integrates the Anaconda platform into 
      Microsoft Excel. With Fusion, you can connect Excel to 
      open data science, leverage data scientists’ notebooks 
      easily through Excel and access the power of Python and 
      big data, embedded inside Excel.

   Anaconda Navigator 
      A desktop graphical user interface (GUI) included in all versions of :term:`Anaconda`  
      that allows you to easily manage :term:`conda packages <Conda package>`,
      :term:`environments <Conda environment>`, :term:`channels <Channels>` and  
      notebooks without the need for the :term:`command line interface <Command Line Interface (CLI)>`. 

   Anaconda Enterprise
      Anaconda with enterprise technical support for a specific number of 
      users, indemnification for a select number of open source packages, 
      collaborative notebooks, high-performance scalability, Hadoop, 
      interactive visualization, governance and security. See the 
      `subscriptions page 
      <https://www.continuum.io/anaconda-business-subscriptions>`_ for more 
      details.

   Anaconda Repository 
      An enterprise server on your network where open source and proprietary  
      packages may be stored, retrieved and installed on a local computer.   
      Anaconda Repository is different from `Anaconda Cloud <https://anaconda.org/>`_  
      or the `default conda repository <https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/>`_. The  
      repository is used to govern access to data science assets including  
      packages and notebooks. 

   channels 
      The locations of the repositories where conda looks for packages. Channels  
      may point to a Cloud repository or a private location on a remote  
      or local repository that you or your organization created. The 
      ``conda channel`` command has a default set of channels to search 
      beginning with https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/ . You may override the 
      default channels, for example to maintain a private or internal channel. 
      In conda commands and in the ``.condarc`` file, these default channels 
      are referred to by the channel name ``defaults``.

   Command Line Interface (CLI) 
      A program in which commands are entered as text, one line at a time, for a  
      computer to execute. Sometimes referred to as a terminal.  Contrast with  
      :term:`Graphical User Interface (GUI)`.

   Conda 
      A package and environment manager program bundled with :term:`Anaconda` that installs  
      and updates :term:`conda packages <Conda package>` and their dependencies.  Also lets you easily  
      switch between :term:`conda environments <Conda environment>` on your local computer.

   Conda build
      A program that assembles the necessary components to create a :term:`conda package <Conda package>` 
      using :term:`conda <Conda>` commands. A conda build is done locally with your own (optional)  
      clusters. 

   Conda environment 
      A folder or directory that contains a specific collection of :term:`conda packages <Conda package>` 
      and their dependencies, so that they can be maintained and run separately without  
      interference from each other. For example, you may use one conda environment  
      for only Python 2 and Python 2 packages and maintain another conda  
      environment with only Python 3 and Python 3 packages. 

   Conda package 
      A compressed file that contains everything that a software program needs in  
      order to be installed and run, including system-level libraries, Python modules,  
      executable programs and other components. With a conda package, you do not have to  
      manually find and install each dependency separately.  Managed with :term:`conda <Conda>`.

   Conda repository 
      A cloud-based repository that contains 720+ open source certified packages  
      that are easily installed locally via the ``conda install`` command. Can be  
      accessed by anyone using :term:`conda <Conda>` commands or viewed directly at  
      https://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/ .

   Graphical User Interface (GUI) 
      A program with graphic images, icons and menus in which commands are 
      entered by clicking with a mouse and/or entering text in form boxes.  It 
      is an easy-to-use overlay to the same program that is run using a 
      :term:`Command Line Interface (CLI)`. Examples are 
      :term:`Anaconda Navigator` and :term:`Anaconda Fusion`.

   Miniconda 
      A minimal installer for conda. Like :term:`Anaconda`, Miniconda is a free software  
      package that includes the Anaconda distribution and the :term:`conda <Conda>` package and  
      environment manager, but Miniconda does not include any packages other than  
      those dependencies needed to install it. After installing Miniconda,  
      you can install additional conda packages directly from the command line  
      with ``conda install``. 

   package manager
      A collection of software tools that automates the process of installing, 
      upgdating, configuring and removing computer programs for a computer's 
      operating system. Also known as a package management system. Conda is an
      example of a package manager.

   packages
      Software files and information about the software, such as its name, the 
      specific version and a description, that are bundled into a file that can be
      installed and managed by a package manager.

   R packages 
      :term:`Conda packages <Conda package>` that install and run the R computer language. Examples include  
      R Essentials, a bundle of 80 popular, open source software programs written in  
      the R computer language. See http://conda.pydata.org/docs/r-with-conda.html .

   repository 
      Any storage location from which software or software assets may be retrieved  
      and installed on a local computer.  See also :term:`Anaconda Repository` and :term:`conda  
      repository <Conda repository>`.
