Conda channels are package source - locations where conda looks for software packages when you run conda install. Each channel can contain different package versions, build configurations, platform-specific binaries, etc ...
In the screenshot above, you will notice 4 different conda channels:
- defaults: the official Anaconda repository, has stable, curated with conservative updates
- microsoft: Microsoft maintains its own channel mainly for AzureML environment support or packages tuned for Windows performance.
- anaconda: similar to the defaults channel
- conda-forge: community driven, massive ecosystem with the latest versions. Receives updates within hours of upstream releases
You can add a channel using this command: conda config --add channels microsoft. Conda searches channels in order, from highest priority to lowest. So from my configuration, it first try to install from defaults. If not found, it falls back to microsoft, and so on ...
