Skip to main content

Conda 23.10.0: libmamba is now the default solver

· 3 min read
Jaime Rodríguez-Guerra
Jaime Rodríguez-Guerra
Steering council member
Jannis Leidel
Jannis Leidel
Steering council member

With this 23.10.0 release we are changing the default solver of conda to conda-libmamba-solver! 🥳 🚀​

libmamba builds on libsolv, a much faster solver from openSUSE. The previous "classic" solver is based on pycosat/Picosat and will remain part of conda for the foreseeable future. A fallback is possible and available.

Why are we switching the solver?​

In short: to make conda faster and more accurate.

A "solver" is a core component of many package managers; it calculates which dependencies (and which version of those dependencies) to install when a user requests to install a package from a package repository. To address growth-related challenges within the conda ecosystem, the conda maintainers, alongside partners Anaconda, Quansight and QuantStack, introduced a new conda dependency solver based on the Mamba project in December 2022.

Since July 2023, the conda-libmamba-solver plugin has been included in all major conda ecosystem installers (miniforge, miniconda, mambaforge and Anaconda Distribution), but was disabled by default. As soon as these installers are updated to contain conda 23.10.0 or later, they will automatically default to using the conda-libmamba-solver plugin.

What changes will I notice?​

  • First, complex solves will run noticeably faster. Benchmarking predicts a 50 to 80% improvement in run times.
  • Second, you will notice improved error messages when conda encounters problems. libmamba's error messages give you more insight into what is triggering the problem.
  • Third, conda-libmamba-solver outputs more details about the channels in use and target platform at the beginning of the process. Mind these differences if you are parsing stdout (although we definitely recommend enabling the --json mode for programmatic usage!).

What can I do if this update doesn't work for me?​

If the new solver is not working as you expect:

  • Check if the behavior you are observing is a known issue or a deliberate change.
  • If that's not the case, please consider submitting a bug report or feature request in the conda-libmamba-solver repository.
  • If necessary, you can go back to using the classic solver without modifying your conda installation:
    • When possible, pass the command line option --solver=classic to your conda calls.
    • Otherwise (e.g. for conda build ... or constructor ...), set the environment variable CONDA_SOLVER=classic.
    • For permanent changes, use the conda configuration system: conda config --set solver classic.

Where can I learn more about conda-libmamba-solver?​

The documentation of the conda-libmamba-solver plugin can be found on conda.github.io/conda-libmamba-solver.

For more information about the conda-libmamba-solver rollout plan, please also see our blog post from earlier this year.

Other parts of conda are faster too​

The libmamba integration is part of a larger effort to improve the run time of conda. See also: