Gator: A Handy UI for Managing Conda Environments

Abstract

Managing Conda environments is essential for modern Python development, but it can be challenging. This is especially true for newcomers juggling long commands, complex dependencies, and the fear of breaking their installation. Gator offers a friendlier, visual way to create, clone, inspect, and manage environments, available both inside JupyterLab and as a standalone app launched with `gator`. This talk introduces Gator, explains how it fits into Anaconda Toolbox, and gives an overview of its architecture: a shared React UI, a lightweight Jupyter Server backend, and REST endpoints that delegate to Conda or Mamba. I’ll also cover the recent work to revive and modernize Gator for JupyterLab 4, including UI updates and improved workflows. Finally, we’ll look at what’s next: performance improvements, richer environment metadata, and deeper integration with other Toolbox features like Quick-Start Environments and the Anaconda Assistant. Whether you're new to Conda or a power user, Gator makes environment management smoother and more approachable.

Speakers