--- title: "Deploy RStudio Server" description: "RStudio IDE for R in your browser, with persistent files and packages" category: "Analytics" url: https://railway.com/deploy/rstudio-server --- # Deploy RStudio Server RStudio IDE for R in your browser, with persistent files and packages **[Deploy RStudio Server on Railway](https://railway.com/template/rstudio-server)** Machine-readable deploy manifest (JSON, validated by TemplateCI): https://railway.com/deploy/rstudio-server/manifest.json - **Creator:** Agaz Self-Host - **Category:** Analytics ## Template content ### RStudio Server https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/homarr-labs/dashboard-icons/svg/rstudioserver.svg - **Image:** rocker/rstudio:4.6.2@sha256:f9a7ae9c87d9a0d5f5584c58980240919f064a777b7d857ada8ff325a1b865d9 - **Start command:** `sh -c 'echo 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 | base64 -d > /tmp/railway-start.sh && exec sh /tmp/railway-start.sh'` - **Health check:** /auth-sign-in - **Public domain:** Yes ## Documentation # Deploy and Host RStudio Server on Railway RStudio Server is the open-source edition of Posit's RStudio IDE for R, served in the browser. You write and run R code, view plots and data, manage packages and files, and use a terminal, all from any machine. This template runs the Rocker Project's official `rocker/rstudio` image with R 4.6.2. ## About Hosting RStudio Server RStudio Server is a single container: the `rserver` process serves the IDE over HTTP and starts an R session for the signed-in user. Hosting it means picking an image with a fixed R version, setting a login password, giving the user's home directory persistent storage, and putting the IDE behind HTTPS. Two details matter on a platform like Railway: the volume is mounted empty and owned by root, so it has to be handed to the `rstudio` user, and the Rocker image installs R packages into a system folder that a redeploy wipes. This template handles both, so your projects, settings and installed packages persist on the volume. ## Common Use Cases * A browser-based R workspace for data analysis, statistics and plotting that you can open from any computer * A shared teaching or workshop environment where nobody needs to install R locally * A small always-on box for R Markdown and Quarto reports, scripts and package development ## Dependencies for RStudio Server Hosting * The official `rocker/rstudio` Docker image (R 4.6.2, RStudio Server 2026.10.1, pinned by digest) * A Railway volume mounted at `/home/rstudio` for your files, settings and R package library ### Deployment Dependencies * [Rocker Project: RStudio images](https://rocker-project.org/images/versioned/rstudio.html) * [rocker/rstudio on Docker Hub](https://hub.docker.com/r/rocker/rstudio) * [rocker-versioned2 on GitHub](https://github.com/rocker-org/rocker-versioned2) * [RStudio Server (Posit)](https://posit.co/download/rstudio-server/) * [R 4.6.2 release (CRAN)](https://cran.r-project.org/) ### Implementation Details The template deploys one service from `rocker/rstudio:4.6.2@sha256:f9a7ae9c87d9a0d5f5584c58980240919f064a777b7d857ada8ff325a1b865d9`, with a volume at `/home/rstudio`, a public HTTPS domain and a health check on `/auth-sign-in`. * **Login:** the username is `rstudio`. The password is the `PASSWORD` variable, generated at deploy with `${{secret(32)}}`. Find it in the service's Variables tab. To change it, edit `PASSWORD` and redeploy; the service refuses to start without one, so it never runs without a login. * **Packages:** `install.packages()` installs into `~/R/library/4.6` on the volume, so packages survive redeploys. CRAN comes from Posit Package Manager, which serves prebuilt Linux binaries, so most packages install in seconds. System libraries installed with `apt` are not kept across redeploys. * **Start command:** a short script, inlined in the start command, hands the volume to the `rstudio` user, seeds the default home files on first start, adds the user library, makes RStudio listen on Railway's `PORT`, and then runs the image's own `/init`. * **Memory:** RStudio idles at well under 100 MB, and each R session uses what your data needs. Railway bills for actual use. To cap it, set a memory limit in the service settings, for example 4 GB. * **Admin rights:** add `ROOT=true` to the variables and redeploy if you want `sudo` inside the container. * **Upgrades:** to move to a newer R, change the image tag. Packages built for R 4.6 stay in their own folder, so reinstall them for the new version. ## Why Deploy RStudio Server on Railway? Railway is a singular platform to deploy your infrastructure stack. Railway will host your infrastructure so you don't have to deal with configuration, while allowing you to vertically and horizontally scale it. By deploying RStudio Server on Railway, you are one step closer to supporting a complete full-stack application with minimal burden. Host your servers, databases, AI agents, and more on Railway. ## Similar templates - [Plausible WordPress](https://railway.com/deploy/deploy-plausible-for-wordpress-sites) — Cookie-free WordPress stats from your own Plausible - [Typesense Multilingual](https://railway.com/deploy/deploy-typesense-multilingual-search) — Locale-aware multilingual search with Typesense - [Formbricks](https://railway.com/deploy/formbricks-surveys) — Surveys, NPS and in-app feedback on your own Postgres, Hub and Cube Open this page in a browser: https://railway.com/deploy/rstudio-server