---

name: create-r-dockerfile locale: caveman-ultra source_locale: en source_commit: 82c77053 fence_basis_commit: 82c77053 translator: "Julius Brussee homage — caveman" translation_date: "2026-04-19" description: > Create a Dockerfile for R projects using rocker base images. Covers system dependency installation, R package installation, renv integration, and optimized layer ordering for fast rebuilds. Use when containerizing an R application or analysis, creating reproducible R environments, deploying R-based services (Shiny, Plumber, MCP server), or setting up consistent development environments across machines. license: MIT allowed-tools: Read Write Edit Bash Grep Glob metadata: author: Philipp Thoss version: "1.0" domain: containerization complexity: intermediate language: Docker tags: docker, r, rocker, container, reproducibility

Create R Dockerfile

Dockerfile for R using rocker + dep mgmt.

Use When

• Containerize R app / analysis
• Repro R env
• Deploy R svcs (Shiny, Plumber, MCP)
• Consistent dev env

In

• Required: R proj + deps (DESCRIPTION / renv.lock)
• Required: Purpose (dev/prod/svc)
• Optional: R ver (def: latest stable)
• Optional: Extra sys libs

Do

Step 1: Base Img

Use	Base	Size
Min R	rocker/r-ver:4.5.0	~800MB
Tidyverse	rocker/tidyverse:4.5.0	~1.8GB
RStudio Svr	rocker/rstudio:4.5.0	~1.9GB
Shiny	rocker/shiny-verse:4.5.0	~2GB

Got: Base matches reqs, no bloat.

If err: Unsure → rocker/r-ver (min) + add pkgs. See rocker-org catalog.

Step 2: Dockerfile

FROM rocker/r-ver:4.5.0

# Install system dependencies
# Group by purpose for clarity
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    # HTTP/SSL
    libcurl4-openssl-dev \
    libssl-dev \
    # XML processing
    libxml2-dev \
    # Git integration
    libgit2-dev \
    libssh2-1-dev \
    # Graphics
    libfontconfig1-dev \
    libharfbuzz-dev \
    libfribidi-dev \
    libfreetype6-dev \
    libpng-dev \
    libtiff5-dev \
    libjpeg-dev \
    # Utilities
    git \
    curl \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

# Install R packages
# Order: least-changing first for cache efficiency
RUN R -e "install.packages(c( \
    'remotes', \
    'devtools', \
    'renv' \
    ), repos='https://cloud.r-project.org/')"

# Set working directory
WORKDIR /workspace

# Copy renv files first (cache layer)
COPY renv.lock renv.lock
COPY renv/activate.R renv/activate.R

# Restore packages from lockfile
RUN R -e "renv::restore()"

# Copy project files
COPY . .

# Default command
CMD ["R"]

Got: docker build -t myproject . builds OK.

If err: apt-get install fail → check pkg names (Debian). renv::restore() fail → ensure renv.lock + renv/activate.R copied before restore.

Step 3: .dockerignore

.git
.Rproj.user
.Rhistory
.RData
renv/library
renv/cache
renv/staging
docs/
*.tar.gz

Got: .dockerignore excludes git, IDE, local renv lib, artifacts.

If err: Build still copies unwanted → verify .dockerignore in same dir as Dockerfile, correct glob.

Step 4: Build + Test

docker build -t r-project:latest .
docker run --rm -it r-project:latest R -e "sessionInfo()"

Got: Container starts, R ver correct, pkgs avail. sessionInfo() confirms.

If err: Check build logs for sys dep err. Add missing -dev pkgs.

Step 5: Prod Optimize

Multi-stage:

# Build stage
FROM rocker/r-ver:4.5.0 AS builder
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y libcurl4-openssl-dev libssl-dev
COPY renv.lock .
RUN R -e "install.packages('renv'); renv::restore()"

# Runtime stage
FROM rocker/r-ver:4.5.0
COPY --from=builder /usr/local/lib/R/site-library /usr/local/lib/R/site-library
COPY . /app
WORKDIR /app
CMD ["Rscript", "main.R"]

Got: Multi-stage → smaller final img. Runtime = compiled R pkgs only.

If err: Pkgs fail load in runtime → lib path in COPY --from=builder must match R install path. Check: R -e ".libPaths()" in both.

Check

• docker build no err
• Container starts, R works
• All req pkgs avail
• .dockerignore excludes junk
• Img size reasonable
• Fast rebuild on code-only change (cache works)

Traps

• Missing sys deps: Compiled R pkgs need -dev libs. Check install.packages() err msgs
• Cache invalidation: Copy all files pre-install → cache invalidated on code change. Copy lockfile first.
• Large imgs: rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* after apt-get install. Multi-stage.
• Timezone: ENV TZ=UTC / install tzdata for TZ-aware ops
• Root user: Add non-root prod: RUN useradd -m appuser && USER appuser

Examples

# Development container with mounted source
docker run --rm -it -v $(pwd):/workspace r-project:latest R

# Plumber API service
docker run -d -p 8000:8000 r-api:latest

# Shiny app
docker run -d -p 3838:3838 r-shiny:latest

→

• setup-docker-compose — orchestrate multi containers
• containerize-mcp-server — MCP R svrs
• optimize-docker-build-cache — cache strategies
• manage-renv-dependencies — renv.lock → Docker