Merge pull request #399 from pavithraes/conda-store-docs

Update conda-store docs

docs/docs/tutorials/creating-new-environments.md

@@ -1,181 +1,117 @@
 ---
 id: creating-new-environments
-title: Creating a new environment on Nebari
-description: Using conda-store for environment creation
+title: Manage packages and environments
+description: Using conda-store for environment management
 ---
 
-## Introduction
+Nebari uses [`conda-store`][conda-store-docs] for managing and sharing reproducible
+environments (collection of specific packages and versions) on the platform.
 
-In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a new environment on Nebari using `conda-store`,
-install new `conda` packages in your environment, manage multiple environments, and also share the environment with other Nebari users.
+:::warning
+conda-store is the most reliable way to manage your packages and environments on
+Nebari.
 
-### Why using `conda` environments
-
-Development environments give developers and Data Scientists a "sandbox" to work in, experiment with new packages, work across multiple projects, and collaborate with their peers.
-Environment and package managers such as `conda` enable you to create isolated spaces to separate dependencies on a per-project basis.
-They also add other benefits such as:
-
-- Reduce friction to install and upgrade dependencies without affecting other projects or users
-- Reduce the risk of dependency conflicts
-- Promote reproducibility and replicability through dependency pinning
-- Reduce the "works on my machine" risk - thus working towards reproducible builds across multiple machines
-
-### What is `conda`?
-
-[Conda](https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda) is an open source package management system that allows you to create
-environments and install packages into them. It allows the creators of a package to specify required dependencies
-which `conda` can then solve into an environment. `Conda` can then run an update on the environment to pull all the
-latest versions of the packages while still maintaining compatibility.
-
-While `conda` manages compatibility between the packages in the environment, by default, this does not guarantee reproducible builds over time.
-An environment created with a list of packages _today_ can differ from that same environment created with the same
-list of packages _tomorrow_. This can happen because package dependencies have changed, new releases have occurred,
-or even because a package is no longer available.
-
-### What is `conda-store`?
-
-[`conda-store`][conda-store-docs] is a Python package that serves _identical_ `conda` environments by controlling the
-environment lifecycle.
-It ensures that the management, building, and serving of environments is as identical as possible and seamless for the end users.
-
-All environments in Nebari are served through `conda-store`.
-
-Using `conda-store`, Nebari admins can track specific files or directories for changes in environment specifications.
-They can manage environments using the web interface, REST API, or the command-line utility (CLI).
-This tutorial focuses on using the web interface to interact with our environments.
-
-## Step 1 - Exploring the `conda-store` web interface
-
-1. To get started, navigate to `https://<your-nebari-domain>/conda-store` (e.g. <https://quansight.nebari.dev/conda-store>).
-
-2. You will need to log in to authenticate to the `conda-store` interface - this is required to be able to access most of `conda-store` functionalities.
-
-   ![conda-store login UI - before authentication](/img/tutorials/conda_store_login.png)
-
-3. This will lead you through a series of windows to authorize with Keycloak, after which you will have access to the
-   `conda-store` dashboard. By default, you will be directed to the user page containing information about your account and the associated permissions.
-
-   ![conda-store dashboard UI - after authentication](/img/tutorials/conda_store_dashboard.png)
-
-Some useful sections to notice in the `user` page are:
-
-- **User**: this section of the dashboard allows users to explicitly logout of the interface.
-- **Namespaces**: `Namespaces` are an important part of the `conda-store` [authorization model][conda-store-docs-auth]. They
-  control what level of access users are provided to the individual environments. In other words, based on your
-  permissions in each namespace, your ability to create, read, update, or delete and environment will differ.
-- **Permissions**: your current permissions in each namespace.
-
-That is, unless your admin has configured your namespace differently. You can see here that the `conda-store`
-authorization model is able to provide admins with a fine-grained level of control.
-
-## Step 2 - Creating a new environment
+Refrain from installing libraries directly in the notebook or through the terminal
+(outside a conda-store managed environment). These actions could lead to subtle
+and unforeseen problems with your environment.
+:::
 
-1. To create a new environment, click on the `Create New Environment` button on the top right of the navigation bar. You will
-   be presented with an option to upload a
-   [conda YAML file](https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/tasks/manage-environments.html#creating-an-environment-from-an-environment-yml-file)
-   or write your own.
+## Preliminary reading
 
-   ![conda-store create environment UI](/img/tutorials/conda_store_create_env.png)
+It's useful to understand basics of conda-store and how it builds on top of the
+conda ecosystem, to use it effectively in Nebari.
 
-   For this tutorial, you can copy and paste the following environment specification:
+- [Essential conda concepts: Packages, environments, channels, dependencies, etc.](https://conda.store/conda-store/explanations/conda-concepts)
+- [conda-store concepts: Reproducibility, namespaces, environment versions, roles, etc.](https://conda.store/conda-store/explanations/conda-store-concepts)
 
-   ```yaml title="Sample environment specification"
-   channels:
-   - conda-forge
-   dependencies:
-   - python=3.9
-   - numpy
-   - matplotlib
-   - pandas
-   - panel
-   - ipykernel
-   - ipywidgets
-   name: example-environment
-   prefix: null
-   ```
+Nebari has conda-store integrated, and you can use it through the graphical UI.
 
-2. After you copy the above into the UI, go ahead and click the `Submit` button.
+## Open `conda-store` web interface
 
-3. You will be redirected to the environments overview page. Find the card with the name of the new environment under your user's namespace (e.g.
-   `<your-username>/example-environment`).
+![Conda Store WebUI interface](/img/tutorials/conda_store_webui.png)
 
-   ![Newly create environment card](/img/tutorials/conda_store_new_env.png)
+There are several options for navigating to conda-store:
 
-4. Click on the card for your newly created environment. The UI will display the environment specification:
+- From Nebari Home, click on **"Environment Management"** under "Services"
+- From JupyterLab, click on `Nebari` in the menu bar and go to **"Environments"**
+- From anywhere, go to URL: `https://<your-nebari-domain>/conda-store`
 
-   ![conda-store - Environment details page](/img/tutorials/conda_store_env_details.png)
+If not logged in to conda-store, click on the **"Log in"** button in th left
+sidebar and authenticate similar to the [Nebari login][login-keycloak]. This is
+required to be able to access many `conda-store` features.
 
-   If this is the first time visiting this page, the environment may still be in the process of building.
-   The page will automatically update when the build is complete.
+## Create, edit, and manage environments
 
-   From this page, you can `Edit` your YAML specification, or even `Delete` the environment.
+Go through the following conda-store (UI) tutorials
+on using the graphical interface for various actions:
 
-   :::note
-   `conda-store` tracks all the environments behind the scenes for the users. Even if a user "deletes" an environment,
-   it will still exist in the store. This ensures admins always have access to environment history.
-   :::
+- [Create new environments][cs-create-env]
+- [Edit & delete existing environments][cs-edit-delete-env]
+- [Switch environment versions][version-control]
 
-5. Now let's take a closer look at the `conda` build detail, to do this, click on the build number link in the `conda-store` interface.
-   This will display a new page with the metadata about the environment including the time, size and status.
-   Also included is your original YAML specification and a list of all the installed dependencies, their version and the used `conda` channels.
+## Default namespaces in Nebari
 
-   ![conda-store UI - Sample environment build details page: showing build details, specification file, and conda packages](/img/tutorials/conda_store_build_details_top.png)
+A default Nebari deployment/instance has the following namespaces corresponding
+to [Nebari groups][configure-keycloak-groups]:
 
-   Scroll down to the bottom of this list, and you'll see a section called `Conda Environment Artifacts`.
-   This is where you can download your own copy of the YAML file, a [conda-lock](https://conda.github.io/conda-lock/) file, and a `tar.gz` archive of the environment.
+<!-- Verify the roles and actions -->
 
-   ![conda-store UI - Sample environment build details page: showing the conda environment artifacts](/img/tutorials/conda_store_build_details_bottom.png)
+- `analyst` namespace - Users in the `analyst` group can view and `admin` group
+  can view+edit the environments in this namespace
+- `developer` namespace - Users in the `developer` and `admin` groups can view+edit
+  the environments in this namespace
+- `nebari-git` namespace - Everyone can view and `admin`s can edit
 
-6. Lastly, click on `Full Logs` to view the full output from the `conda` build.
+As an individual user, you also have a personal namespace with the same name as
+your Nebari username.
 
 :::note
-If you want to use your new environment in a Jupyter Notebook, don't forget to include `ipykernel` and `ipywidgets` in
-your environment’s `yaml` file, or it may not be visible in the list of available kernels.
+If you can "view" an environment, you can use it.
 :::
 
-## Step 3 - Installing packages via `conda` or `pip`
+## Select environments in editors
 
-To install new packages through either `conda` or `pip` you'll need to navigate back to the `Edit` page of your environment
-in the `conda-store` web interface.
+Instructions to select any environment you have access to in the following editing
+spaces:
 
-Adding `conda` packages to a `conda-store` environment via the command line, is not possible since the files are
-read-only in that context.
+- **JupyterLab** - In a Jupyter Notebook, click on the "Select Kernel" dropdown in
+  the top-left corner, and select the environment.
 
-Additionally, adding `pip` packages via the command line is strongly discouraged. Not only do `conda` and `pip` not
-always play nice together, but it can lead to some inconsistencies across users' dependencies.
-This happens because when you `pip` install a package from the command line this is installed in your `.local` folder, so this changes will not be applied to other Nebari users.
+- **VS Code** - Click on the ⚙️ icon in the bottom-right to open `Settings` ->
+  `Command Palette`, and type "Python: Select Interpreter" and press <kbd>Enter</kbd>
+  to get the list of environments to select from.
 
-:::note
-One exception to this rule is packages that you are actively developing.
-As you are building a package, you will likely want to install it as a _dev_ package.
-This can be done using:
+- **Terminal** - In the terminal window, you can use `conda` CLI commands like
+  `conda activate <namespace>-<environment_name>` to activate the relevant
+  environment and `conda env list` to view the list of available environments.
 
-```bash
-pip install --no-build-isolation --user -e .
-```
+## Special requirements
 
-Or, if you’re using `flit`, you can install with:
+### Dask
 
-```bash
-flit install -s
-```
+Include the [`nebari-dask` metapackage](https://anaconda.org/conda-forge/nebari-dask)
+in your environment to use Dask. This ensures you have the correct version of
+`dask-gateway` and the latest versions of `dask` and `distributed` libraries.
 
-Please keep in mind that these are _NOT_ available to Dask workers!
-:::
+By default, the `nebari-git-nebari-git-dask` environment (available to everyone)
+can be used for basic Dask workflows.
 
-## Troubleshooting
+### JHub App Launcher
 
-1. If you have an environment that fails to build properly, you'll be able to see this failure on the build status page.
+Include the `jhub-apps` package in your environment to create apps using the
+JHub App Launcher. You will also need the relevant app development framework
+and other necessary packages in the environment.
 
-   Navigate to the `Full Logs` to investigate in more detail. Also, from the build status page you can trigger re-build in
-   case you hit issues with intermittent outages, etc.
+<!-- External links -->
 
-2. If you need to use Dask.
+[conda-store-docs]: https://conda.store/
+[cs-create-env]: https://conda.store/conda-store-ui/tutorials/create-envs
+[cs-edit-delete-env]: https://conda.store/conda-store-ui/tutorials/edit-delete-envs
+[version-control]: https://conda.store/conda-store-ui/tutorials/version-control
 
-   We highly recommend you include the [Nebari Dask metapackage](https://anaconda.org/conda-forge/nebari-dask) to maintain version compatibility between the Dask client and server.
-   This replaces `distributed`, `dask`, and `dask-gateway` with the correctly pinned versions.
+<!-- Internal links -->
 
-<!-- reusable links -->
+<!--Update when PR#397 is merged -->
 
-[conda-store-docs]: https://conda-store.readthedocs.io/
-[conda-store-docs-auth]: https://conda-store.readthedocs.io/en/latest/contributing.html#authorization-model
+[login-keycloak]: /docs/tutorials/login-keycloak
+[configure-keycloak-groups]: /docs/how-tos/configuring-keycloak#in-depth-look-at-roles-and-groups