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Generate a reproducible Dockerfile for an R project

Source: R/generate-dockerfile.R
generate_dockerfile.Rd

generate_dockerfile() inspects an R project's dependencies via an renv lockfile and writes a ready-to-use Dockerfile to the specified output directory. It supports multiple Rocker base images, automatic system library detection, Quarto installation, file copying, user creation, and inline documentation comments.

Usage

generate_dockerfile(
  r_version = "current",
  r_mode = "base",
  auto_syslibs = TRUE,
  install_syslibs = NULL,
  output = tempdir(),
  data_file = NULL,
  code_file = NULL,
  misc_file = NULL,
  add_user = NULL,
  home_dir = "/home",
  expose_port = "8787",
  install_quarto = FALSE,
  comments = FALSE,
  verbose = FALSE
)

Arguments

r_version

A character string specifying the R version to use, e.g. "4.3.0". Defaults to "current", which resolves to the version of R running in the current session.

r_mode

A character string selecting the Rocker base image. Inspired by the Rocker Project. One of "base" for plain R, "tidyverse" for R with the tidyverse, "rstudio" for RStudio Server, or "tidystudio" for tidyverse plus TeX Live and publishing-related packages. Defaults to "base".

auto_syslibs

Logical. If TRUE (the default), reads renv.lock from the current working directory, queries the Posit Package Manager sysreqs database via remotes::system_requirements(), and automatically includes the system libraries required by all packages in the lock file. Warns and continues without auto-detection if the lookup fails. Set to FALSE to skip auto-detection entirely.

install_syslibs

A character vector or NULL. Additional system libraries to install beyond those auto-detected from renv.lock. Each element should be a valid apt package name, e.g. c("libuv1-dev", "libwebp-dev"). Defaults to NULL.

output

A character string. Directory path where the Dockerfile will be written. Defaults to tempdir().

data_file

A character string or NULL. Path to a data file to copy into the container. The local directory structure is preserved under /home/ – e.g. "data-raw/sample.csv" becomes /home/data-raw/sample.csv inside the container. The file must be inside the current working directory (the build context). Defaults to NULL.

code_file

A character string or NULL. Path to a script file (e.g. .R, .qmd, .rmd) to copy into the container. The local directory structure is preserved under /home/. The file must be inside the current working directory. Defaults to NULL.

misc_file

A character string or NULL. Path to a miscellaneous file (e.g. an image or shell script) to copy into the container. The local directory structure is preserved under /home/. The file must be inside the current working directory. Defaults to NULL.

add_user

A character string. Name of a Linux user to create inside the container with sudo access. Defaults to NULL.

home_dir

A character string. The working directory set inside the container via WORKDIR. Defaults to "/home".

expose_port

A character string. The port to expose when r_mode is "rstudio". Defaults to "8787". Ignored when r_mode is not "rstudio".

install_quarto

Logical. If TRUE, downloads and installs the Quarto CLI inside the container. Defaults to FALSE.

comments

Logical. If TRUE, annotates each Dockerfile instruction with an explanatory comment. Useful for learning or sharing. Defaults to FALSE.

verbose

Logical. If TRUE, prints progress messages as each section of the Dockerfile is written. Defaults to FALSE.

Value

Called for its side effects. Writes a Dockerfile to output. Returns invisible(NULL).

Prerequisites

generate_dockerfile() requires an renv.lock file in the current working directory. Create one with renv::snapshot() before calling this function. If the lock file is out of sync with your project library, a warning is issued – run renv::snapshot() to update it before building the image.

Examples

if (FALSE) { # \dontrun{
# Requires renv.lock in the current working directory.
# Run renv::snapshot() first if you don't have one.

# Generate a minimal Dockerfile using a pinned R version
generate_dockerfile(r_version = "4.4.0", output = tempdir())

# Pin a specific R version with the tidyverse image
generate_dockerfile(r_version = "4.3.0", r_mode = "tidyverse",
                    output = tempdir())

# Add extra system libraries on top of auto-detected ones
generate_dockerfile(
  r_version       = "4.4.0",
  install_syslibs = c("libuv1-dev", "libwebp-dev"),
  output          = "."
)

# Include a data file -- directory structure is preserved in the container
generate_dockerfile(
  r_version = "4.3.0",
  data_file = "data-raw/penguins.csv",
  code_file = "analysis.R",
  comments  = TRUE,
  output    = "."
)
} # }