# conda-forge/miniforge

A conda-forge distribution.

Repository: https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/miniforge
Homepage: https://conda-forge.org/download
Language: Shell
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2026-08-20T18:18:06+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 98/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 98, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2485, "days_push": 13, "days_rel": 18, "gap_med": 30, "n_releases_24m": 22}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 10116, forks 525 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:39.593336+00:00)

## What it is
Miniforge provides minimal installers for Conda and Mamba pre-configured to use the conda-forge channel as the default package source. It serves as the preferred entry point to the conda-forge ecosystem across many CPU architectures and operating systems.

## Use cases
- install conda and mamba without Anaconda's defaults channel
- set up a minimal Python environment manager on Apple Silicon or ARM
- create isolated Python environments from conda-forge packages
- replace Anaconda/Miniconda with a community-driven distribution
- install scientific Python packages via mamba for faster solves

## When to choose
- you want conda/mamba with conda-forge as the only default channel
- you need installers for diverse architectures like ppc64le, aarch64, or Apple Silicon
- you want to avoid Anaconda Inc.'s licensing terms on the defaults channel

## When to avoid
- you need a full Anaconda distribution with preinstalled data science packages
- you prefer pip/venv-only workflows without conda
- you need packages from channels other than conda-forge preconfigured

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: package-manager, developer-tools, cli
- domain: developer-tools, data-science
- platform: windows, cli, cross-platform
- tags: conda, mamba, conda-forge, python-environments, installer, environment-management, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- conda-forge/miniforge (main) score 98

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:39.593336+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:19:43.294734+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:39.593336+00:00, sha a91515568fd7)
  - homepage: https://conda-forge.org/download (fetched 2026-08-29T08:19:36.618131+00:00, sha 5c0c1025e0f6)
  - site_page: https://conda-forge.org/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T08:19:36.627483+00:00, sha ceaf2e7254b5)
  - site_page: https://conda-forge.org/docs/user (fetched 2026-08-29T08:19:36.629238+00:00, sha f9e93498f572)
  - site_page: https://conda-forge.org/docs/maintainer (fetched 2026-08-29T08:19:36.630990+00:00, sha 618e48133885)
  - site_page: https://conda-forge.org/docs/diataxis (fetched 2026-08-29T08:19:36.632696+00:00, sha a1b90330e5c7)
  - site_page: https://conda-forge.org/community (fetched 2026-08-29T08:19:36.634338+00:00, sha 0ecc175b6a60)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.