Freezing Python’s Dependency Hell in 2018 Excellent advice. Excepot for the "Don't use Anaconda." Yes. It's a big download. Odds are good you'll need most of it. So. Just do it now. The (miniconda + environment.yml) as an entry point is really good. The "rely on people to actually know and consistently use their best practices" doesn't seem like a problem, it seems like a consequence of an evolving software ecosystem.