When you author a notebook, the resources and Python libraries you use are made available through a notebook runtime. This runtime is loaded into your notebook container by your site administrator. There are two runtimes available: the Standard runtime contains ArcGIS API for Python along with a few hundred other Python libraries, and the Advanced runtime contains all of the same libraries as well as ArcPy and some related libraries. The available runtimes depend on your licensing and privileges.
Note:
Notebooks that use the Advanced runtime can run ArcGIS API for Python and all other libraries from the Standard runtime.
Runtimes are assigned a version number based on their corresponding ArcGIS Notebook Server version:
| ArcGIS Notebook Server version | Manifest version | Retirement date |
|---|---|---|
11.4 | November 1, 2026 | |
11.3 | June 1, 2030 | |
11.2 | November 1, 2026 | |
11.1 | May 1, 2029 | |
11.0 | August 1, 2025 | |
10.9.1 | December 1, 2027 | |
10.9 | June 1, 2024 | |
10.8.1 | August 1, 2026 | |
10.7.1 | June 1, 2025 |
For example, the Standard runtime for 11.4 is named ArcGIS Notebook Server Standard 11.0.
To author notebooks, your administrator must assign you a custom member role that contains the appropriate privileges. There is one privilege to author notebooks using the Standard runtime and another privilege to author notebooks using the Advanced runtimes.
If your organization only has the Standard runtime available and you are assigned a role containing the corresponding privilege, you can start authoring notebooks immediately.
Choose a notebook runtime
When you create a blank notebook, you choose which runtime the notebook will use. The list you choose from is based on your privileges. If you have been granted the Advanced Notebooks privilege, you can choose between Standard and Advanced runtimes, as well as any custom runtime available. You can also change the runtime of a notebook after it has been created; the steps to do so are provided below.
Note:
If your organization has both runtimes available, and your site administrator has granted you privileges to author notebooks using the Advanced runtime, all notebooks you create will use the Advanced runtime by default.
If you have the appropriate privileges, you may want to create notebooks using either runtime in different situations. For example, if you are authoring a notebook to share with other notebook authors in your organization who don't have the Advanced Notebooks privilege, you want to create a notebook using the Standard runtime.
The first time you create a notebook using a runtime you haven't used before, a new container is launched for you. This container includes the Standard runtime and is separate from your first container (which includes the Advanced runtime). Ensure that your site administrator is aware of this and can adjust the available system resources if necessary.
Change a notebook runtime
It is recommended that you update the notebook runtime when a new version is available to take advantage of the latest available Python libraries. Follow these steps to change the runtime applied to an existing notebook. This workflow can only be done by members who can author notebooks using either notebook runtime.
Note:
Before changing the runtime for a notebook, review the available libraries and corresponding runtime versions used in the notebook. Some code may work differently with different versions of libraries. Some libraries are not available in all notebook runtimes. For example, ArcPy is only available in the Advanced notebook runtime, so if you switch to the Standard notebook runtime, an error will appear when you run cells in the notebook that use ArcPy.
- Open the notebook's item details page and click the Settings tab.
In the Notebook section of the tab, under Notebook Settings, the Notebook Runtime option designates the runtime the notebook is using.
- Click the drop-down list, and choose the runtime.
Note:
If you don't have the Advanced Notebooks privilege, only the Standard runtime appears in the drop-down list.
- Click Save to confirm.
The notebook now uses the Standard runtime and can be shared with any member who has Standard runtime access. A second container is launched to host this notebook. ArcPy is unavailable in the notebook.
Install modules during a session
Notebook authors can make Python modules, or versions of modules, that are not included in either runtime available for use during a notebook session using the conda package management system. It is recommended that you use conda, because ArcGIS Notebooks uses it to manage modules.
This approach installs the desired module for the duration of the notebook session. Once the notebook is closed or the container belonging to the user is terminated, the module is no longer available. To install modules using this method, you must have internet connectivity to the conda channel.
Note:
conda is included in the two notebook runtimes. You do not need to install it.
To install the scrapy package during a session, for example, run a notebook cell with one of the following commands, depending on the package management system you're using:
Using the conda package management system
!conda install --yes scrapyTo use a different version of a Python module in the notebook runtime you're working in, specify the version number in the command.
You must restart the kernel after running a conda command for your new package to be available.
For example, a certain package is available in both notebook runtimes at version 1.5, but you want to use a tool introduced in 1.6. To make version 1.6 of the package available during a notebook session, run a notebook cell with one of the following commands, depending on the package management system you're using:
Using the conda package management system
!conda install --yes <package name>==1.6