Consider switching from miniconda to miniforge

[jfrost-mo]

Tool name

miniconda

Tool license

https://legal.anaconda.com/policies/en/

Add or update?

• Add
• Update

Desired version

miniforge

Approximate size

same

Brief description of tool

The licensing situation around miniconda seems increasingly unclear. Consider switching to miniforge which doesn't include any components that require agreeing to the Anaconda Licence.

URL for tool's homepage

https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge

Provide a basic test case to validate the tool's functionality.

No response

Platforms where you need the tool

• Azure DevOps
• GitHub Actions

Runner images where you need the tool

• Ubuntu 20.04
• Ubuntu 22.04
• Ubuntu 24.04
• macOS 12
• macOS 13
• macOS 13 Arm64
• macOS 14
• macOS 14 Arm64
• Windows Server 2019
• Windows Server 2022

Can this tool be installed during the build?

yes

Tool installation time in runtime

No response

Are you willing to submit a PR?

No response

[kishorekumar-anchala]

Hi @jfrost-mo ,

Thank you for bringing this issue to us. We are looking into this issue and will update you on this issue after investigating.

[jfrost-mo]

This article describes the general issue: https://www.theregister.com/2024/08/08/anaconda_puts_the_squeeze_on

This blog post describes it in more technical and actionable terms: https://prefix.dev/blog/towards_a_vendor_lock_in_free_conda_experience

[lakshminarayana02]

Hi @jfrost-mo

We are examining why the licence for miniconda is not explicitly stated, however it is most likely inherited from conda (BSD 3-Clause) and packages from conda-forge (various open-source licences). We will comment on it soon.

and to integrate the miniforge utility in Ubuntu 24.04 and Windows Server 2022. We will review and follow the approval process to include, or if approval is denied, we will offer a workaround solution and respond promptly. Kindly be patient with us.

[jfrost-mo]

From my understanding distributing conda itself is fine, but using it to download any packages from the defaults channels requires a licence from Anaconda, Inc for many organisations.

Miniconda defaults to using the defaults channels, while miniforge does not include them, and just has conda-forge, which is openly usable.

[lakshminarayana02]

Hi @jfrost-mo
During our initial investigation by our team , we understood that miniconda is a lightweight tool, and Anaconda maintains the "defaults" channel to ensure that packages are compatible and routinely updated, and we have been investigating and comparing with MiniForge to take a call with the GitHub approval team.

Please bear with us till we provide additional updates.

[lakshminarayana02]

Hi

We appreciate that you highlighted the limits of miniconda, but we included miniconda in Ubuntu 20 to 22 and continued in the the latest Ubuntu release.

We are now closing this ticket, and we assure you that we have taken note of and discussed it; if more users want the same, we will initiate the process to add your recommendation.

Please continue as is, alternatively you can add the selected miniforge version in the runtime for your builds.

Thank you.