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When you install conda packages, you’re rarely installing just one package. Most of the programs and libraries contained within these packages rely on the programs and libraries in other packages to function properly. These other packages are called dependencies. Each conda package ships with a list of its required dependencies, and dependencies often specify version constraints. For example:
  • numpy >=1.18 — NumPy version 1.18 or later
  • python =3.8.* — any version of Python 3.8
  • scipy <1.5.0 — SciPy versions older than 1.5.0
When you install a package, conda reads its dependency list and installs whatever it needs alongside it. Conda uses a dependency solver to figure out which versions of which packages can coexist in your environment without conflicts. For more information on conda’s package specification rules, see Package specification in the official conda documentation.