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wtf is r-conda?

betatim/r-conda — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2020-05-10

Audience · researcherComplexity · 2/5DormantSetup · easy

TL;DR

A repo2docker configuration that launches R and RStudio in the cloud almost instantly by using pre-compiled conda packages instead of slow CRAN builds.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((r-conda))
    What it does
      Fast R environment
      No compile wait
      Runs in browser
    Tech Stack
      Conda
      repo2docker
      Jupyter
      RStudio
    Use Cases
      Share reproducible analysis
      Teach interactive R classes
      Publish data journalism
    Audience
      Researchers
      Teachers
      Data journalists

Code map

Detail Auto

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Share an R data analysis on GitHub so anyone gets a working RStudio session in their browser with no install.

REASON 2

Set up interactive R notebooks for a class without students installing anything locally.

REASON 3

Publish reproducible data journalism analysis that readers can run themselves instantly.

What's in the stack?

CondaRJupyterRStudio

How it stacks up

betatim/r-conda0verflowme/alarm-clock0verflowme/seclists
Language—CSS—
Last pushed2020-05-102022-10-032020-05-03
MaintenanceDormantDormantDormant
Setup difficultyeasyeasyeasy
Complexity2/52/51/5
Audienceresearchervibe coderops devops

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Not every CRAN package has a conda-compatible version yet.

The README does not specify license terms.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Help me set up this repo2docker configuration so my GitHub repo launches a working RStudio session in the browser.
Prompt 2
Explain why conda-based R packages install faster than the usual CRAN compile-from-source approach.
Prompt 3
Show me how to add an R package to this environment that doesn't have a conda-compatible version yet.
Prompt 4
Walk me through choosing between the Jupyter notebook and RStudio interface for sharing my R analysis.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is r-conda?

A repo2docker configuration that launches R and RStudio in the cloud almost instantly by using pre-compiled conda packages instead of slow CRAN builds.

Is r-conda actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2020-05-10).

What license does r-conda use?

The README does not specify license terms.

How hard is r-conda to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is r-conda for?

Mainly researcher.

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