conda-express#

A lightweight, single-binary bootstrapper for conda, powered by rattler. The cx binary is short for conda express.

cx replaces the miniconda/constructor installation pattern with a single static binary (7-11 MB depending on platform) that bootstraps a fully functional conda environment in seconds. For air-gapped environments, the self-contained cxz variant (50-95 MB) embeds all packages directly in the binary.

Install#

Homebrew

brew tap jezdez/conda-express https://github.com/jezdez/conda-express
brew install jezdez/conda-express/cx

Works on macOS and Linux. Upgrades via brew upgrade cx.

Shell script

macOS / Linux:

curl -fsSL https://jezdez.github.io/conda-express/get-cx.sh | sh

Windows (PowerShell):

powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://jezdez.github.io/conda-express/get-cx.ps1 | iex"

Docker

docker run --rm -v cx-data:/home/nonroot/.cx ghcr.io/jezdez/conda-express bootstrap

Works on Linux, macOS, and Windows via Docker Desktop.

pip / cargo

pip install conda-express

cargo install conda-express

See the quickstart for all installation methods.

Quick example#

Bootstrap conda, create an environment, and activate it

# Bootstrap a conda installation (~3–5 seconds)
cx bootstrap

# Create and activate an environment
cx create -n science python=3.12 numpy scipy
cx shell science

# Use conda normally — cx delegates transparently
cx install -n science pandas matplotlib

On first use, cx automatically installs conda and its plugins into ~/.cx from an embedded lockfile. Subsequent invocations hand off directly to the installed conda binary.

What gets installed#

cx installs a minimal conda stack from conda-forge:

Package	Role
python >= 3.12	Runtime
conda >= 25.1	Package manager
conda-rattler-solver	Rust-based solver (replaces libmamba)
conda-spawn	Subprocess-based environment activation
conda-pypi	PyPI interoperability
conda-self	Base environment self-management
conda-workspaces	Multi-environment workspace and task management