Users

How to install a package from R-multiverse

R has built-in support for multiple repositories. To add R-multiverse to your repository settings, a line can be added to your .Rprofile as follows.

For Community:

options(repos = c("https://community.r-multiverse.org", getOption("repos")))

For Production: [Our first Production release is scheduled for 15 November 2024, and prior to that, a sample repository is available at https://r-multiverse.org/snapshot]

options(repos = c("https://production.r-multiverse.org", getOption("repos")))

Then proceed to use install.packages() or pak::pak() etc. as you would normally.

What does R-multiverse provide?

Many R packages do not belong on CRAN. In particular, packages containing compiled code may require toolchains or binary downloads that fall outside of CRAN policy.

By contributing a package to R-multiverse, you may conveniently install the latest released versions of all these packages from a single repository location.

R-multiverse works seamlessly alongside CRAN.

A package may become unavailable on CRAN at any time due to its strict archival policy.

  • Sometimes due to the archival of a dependency, and outside the maintainer’s direct control.
  • Situations can be temporary, but may take an extended time to resolve.

By contributing a package that you rely on, you can ensure it always remains available for your critical workflows.

Maintainers may use R-multiverse as a faster release channel, especially for packages under intensive development.

CRAN is first and foremost an archival network, and its policy restricts the frequency of package updates. R-multiverse allows maintainers to push critical updates or bug fixes directly to users.