The Community Channel reached End of Support as of September 2026. Packages already published to this channel remain available but will not receive updates or security patches and may contain known vulnerabilities. Anaconda recommends that users migrate to the main-x channel for additional package needs.
Overview
The Community Channel gives your organization access to over 16,000 open source packages from conda-forge, one of the largest community-maintained conda package repositories. The Community Channel is disabled by default and requires a Terms of Service acceptance before it can be activated.
Before you enable
The Community Channel is distinct from the Anaconda default channels (main, r, msys2). Packages in the Community Channel are maintained by the open source community and, while they have been checked for compatibility with Anaconda built packages, but are not vetted for security. Additionally, these are all Noarch (or No Architecture) packages. Review your organization's open source policy before enabling access.
Enabling the Community Channel
1. Navigate to Organization Settings in the left navigation menu.
2. Click Edit Organization Settings.
3. Scroll to the Community Channel section.
4. Toggle Enable Community Channel on.
5. Review and accept the Terms of Service.
6. Click Save.
Note: Only organization administrators can enable or disable the Community Channel.
Accessing Community Channel packages
Once enabled, the Community Channel appears in your list of available channels. You can:
- Add it as a source to a Virtual channel so that your security policies apply to Community packages before they reach users.
- Grant groups direct access to the Community Channel for users who need unrestricted open source access.
- Search the channel in the platform to find specific packages before adding them to your curated channels.
Disabling the Community Channel
To disable access, return to Organization Settings, open Edit Organization Settings, and toggle the Community Channel off. Users who were accessing the channel will immediately lose access.