From conda create requirements.txt for pip3
📝 How to Generate a requirements.txt File for pip3 from conda
If you're using conda to manage your environments but find yourself in a situation where you don't have admin rights and are forced to work with virtualenv and pip3, you may encounter difficulties generating a requirements.txt file that is compatible with pip3 and venv.
Don't worry, we've got an easy solution for you!
The Problem 😕
When you try to generate a requirements.txt file from conda using the command conda list -e > requirements.txt, you may encounter an error message stating that = is not a valid operator and suggests using == instead.
The Solution 💡
Instead of manually changing all the = to ==, there is a simpler way to generate a compatible requirements.txt file.
Open the terminal.
Run the command
pip freeze > requirements.txt.
This will automatically generate a requirements.txt file that is compatible with pip3 and venv.
Example Usage 🚀
Let's take a look at an example to see the difference.
The conda output looks like this:
# This file may be used to create an environment using:
# $ conda create --name <env> --file <this file>
# platform: osx-64
certifi=2016.2.28=py36_0
cycler=0.10.0=py36_0
freetype=2.5.5=2
icu=54.1=0
...If you try to generate a requirements.txt file using conda list -e > requirements.txt, you'll encounter an error due to the = operator.
However, if you use pip freeze > requirements.txt instead:
certifi==2016.2.28
cycler==0.10.0
freetype==2.5.5
icu==54.1
...As you can see, the pip freeze command automatically generates a requirements.txt file with == operators, which is compatible with pip3 and venv.
Conclusion 🎉
Now that you know how to generate a requirements.txt file for pip3 from conda, you can easily work with virtualenv and pip3 on environments where conda is not available.
Remember, the pip freeze command is your friend in these situations!
If you found this guide helpful, share it with others who might be facing the same conundrum. Stay tuned for more tech tips and tricks!
Do you have any other tech-related questions or problems? Let us know in the comments below! ✍️💬
