How to Install Anaconda on CentOS 8

Anaconda is the most popular Python/R data science and machine learning platform. It is used for large-scale data processing, predictive analytics, and scientific computing.

Anaconda distribution ships with more than 1,500 open-source data packages. It also includes the conda command-line tool and a desktop graphical user interface called Anaconda Navigator.

In this tutorial, we will explain how to install Anaconda Python Distribution on CentOS 8.

Installing Anaconda #

At the time of writing this article, the latest stable version of Anaconda is version 2019.10. Before downloading the Anaconda installer script, visit the Anaconda Downloads page and check if there is a new version of Anaconda for Python 3 available for download.

Complete the following steps to install Anaconda on CentOS 8:

1. Download the Anaconda installation script using the link that you copied from the Downloads page:

   Terminal

   wget -P /tmp https://repo.anaconda.com/archive/Anaconda3-2019.10-Linux-x86_64.sh

   The download may take some time depending on your connection speed.

   If you are installing Anaconda on a Desktop machine, you can download the script using your web browser .

2. Verify the data integrity of the script with the sha256sum command:

   Terminal

   sha256sum Anaconda3-5.3.1-Linux-x86_64.sh

   The output should look like the following:

   output

   46d762284d252e51cd58a8ca6c8adc9da2eadc82c342927b2f66ed011d1d8b53  /tmp/Anaconda3-2019.10-Linux-x86_64.sh

   Make sure the hash printed from the command above matches the one available at the Anaconda with Python 3 on 64-bit Linux page for your appropriate Anaconda version.

   

3. Start the Anaconda installation process by executing the installation script:

   Terminal

   bash Anaconda3-2019.10-Linux-x86_64.sh

   You should see an output like the following:

   output

   Welcome to Anaconda3 2019.10
   
   In order to continue the installation process, please review the license
   agreement.
   Please, press ENTER to continue
   >>> 

   Press ENTER to continue, and then press ENTER to scroll through the license. You’ll be asked to approve the license terms:

   output

   Do you accept the license terms? [yes|no]
   [no] >>> yes

   Type yes to accept the license and the installer will ask you to choose the installation location:

   output

   Anaconda3 will now be installed into this location:
   /home/linuxize/anaconda3
   
   - Press ENTER to confirm the location
   - Press CTRL-C to abort the installation
   - Or specify a different location below

   The default location is fine for most users. Press ENTER to confirm the location and installation process will continue.

   If you get an error saying bunzip2: command not found, install the bzip2 package with: sudo dnf install bzip2, and re-run the installation script

   The installation may take some time to complete. Once done, you’ll see the following output:

   output

   Preparing transaction: done
   Executing transaction: done
   installation finished.
   Do you wish the installer to initialize Anaconda3
   by running conda init? [yes|no]

   Type yes, press ENTER and the script will add conda to your PATH :

   output

   ==> For changes to take effect, close and re-open your current shell. <==
   
   If you'd prefer that conda's base environment not be activated on startup, 
   set the auto_activate_base parameter to false: 
   
   conda config --set auto_activate_base false
   
   Thank you for installing Anaconda3!
   
   ...

   To activate the Anaconda installation, you can either close and re-open your shell or load the new PATH environment variable into the current shell session by typing:

   Terminal

   source ~/.bashrc

4. Use the conda command to verify the Anaconda installation. The following command will display information about the installation:

   Terminal

   conda info

   output

       active environment : base
       active env location : /home/vagrant/anaconda3
               shell level : 1
       user config file : /home/vagrant/.condarc
   populated config files : 
           conda version : 4.7.12
       conda-build version : 3.18.9
           python version : 3.7.4.final.0
       ...

Updating Anaconda #

Updating the Anaconda is a pretty straight forward process, first update the conda tool with:

conda update conda

When prompted to confirm the update, type y to proceed.

Once conda is updated, proceed with the Anaconda update:

conda update anaconda

Same as with the previous command, when prompted, type y to proceed.

Do not forget to regularly update your Anaconda installation.

Uninstalling Anaconda #

To uninstall Anaconda from your CentOS system, first remove the Anaconda installation directory:

rm -rf ~/anaconda3

Edit the ~/.bashrc file and remove the Anaconda directory from the PATH environment variable:

# >>> conda initialize >>>
# !! Contents within this block are managed by 'conda init' !!
__conda_setup="$('/home/linuxize/anaconda3/bin/conda' 'shell.bash' 'hook' 2> /dev/null)"
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
    eval "$__conda_setup"
else
    if [ -f "/home/linuxize/anaconda3/etc/profile.d/conda.sh" ]; then
        . "/home/linuxize/anaconda3/etc/profile.d/conda.sh"
    else
        export PATH="/home/linuxize/anaconda3/bin:$PATH"
    fi
fi
unset __conda_setup
# <<< conda initialize <<<

Run the following rm command to remove the hidden files and folders from the user home directory:

rm -rf ~/.condarc ~/.conda ~/.continuum

Conclusion #

Now that you have downloaded and installed Anaconda your CentOS system, you can check the official Getting started with conda guide.

If you hit a problem or have feedback, leave a comment below.

About the authors

Dejan Panovski

Dejan Panovski is the founder of Linuxize, an RHCSA-certified Linux system administrator and DevOps engineer based in Skopje, Macedonia. Author of 800+ Linux tutorials with 20+ years of experience turning complex Linux tasks into clear, reliable guides.

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