conda-lock

What conda-lock is

conda-lock is a free, MIT-licensed library for generating reproducible lockfiles for conda environments. It resolves dependencies for each target platform, allowing installations from generated lockfiles to avoid running the conda solver. Inputs can come from environment.yml, conda-build meta.yaml, or pyproject.toml dependency specifications. Its default output is a unified lockfile for multiple platforms, which can also be rendered into other lockfile formats. The documented target examples include Linux, Windows, macOS, Apple silicon, and other Linux architectures. The project describes use with conda, mamba, pip, Docker, and pixi; installation options include pip, conda, and mamba, with pipx or condax recommended for isolation. Mixed conda and pip locking is experimental and uses a vendored Poetry dependency solver. Channel authentication supports tokens and basic authentication, with environment-variable substitution for credentials. Private pip repository support is limited to legacy PyPI repositories with basic authentication. The documentation also notes that pip-solved packages in an explicit lockfile can only be installed by conda-lock.

Who it suits

It suits developers and teams managing conda environments across multiple platforms who want generated lockfiles. Users with mixed conda and pip dependencies should account for the experimental support and explicit-lockfile installation limitation.

Limits

Private pip repository support is limited to legacy PyPI repositories using basic authentication. Mixed conda and pip locking is experimental; when pip-solved packages are in an explicit lockfile, only conda-lock can install them.

Getting started

1. Visit https://conda.github.io/conda-lock/.
2. Install conda-lock through pip, conda, or mamba; pipx and condax are also documented for isolated installs.
3. Prepare dependency specifications in environment.yml, conda-build meta.yaml, or pyproject.toml.
4. Generate a unified lockfile for the target platforms your environment needs.
5. Use the generated lockfile with a documented tool such as conda, mamba, pip, Docker, or pixi.

Verdict

conda-lock provides platform-aware lockfiles for conda environments and documents several installation and ecosystem options. Check its pip-related limitations if private repositories or mixed environments are part of your setup.