Create R Dockerfile

Build Dockerfile for R projects using rocker base images. Proper dependency management.

When Use

• Containerizing R application or analysis
• Making reproducible R environments
• Deploying R-based services (Shiny, Plumber, MCP server)
• Setting up consistent dev environments

Inputs

• Required: R project with dependencies (DESCRIPTION or renv.lock)
• Required: Purpose (development, production, or service)
• Optional: R version (default: latest stable)
• Optional: Extra system libraries needed

Steps

Step 1: Choose Base Image

Got: Base image picked matches project's needs. No extra bloat.

If fail: Unsure which image to use? Start with rocker/r-ver (minimal), add packages as needed. Check rocker-org for full image catalog.

Step 2: Write 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: Dockerfile builds fine with docker build -t myproject .

If fail: Build fails during apt-get install? Check package names for target distro (Debian). renv::restore() fails? Confirm renv.lock and renv/activate.R copied before restore step.

Step 3: Create .dockerignore

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

Got: .dockerignore drops Git history, IDE files, local renv library, build artifacts from Docker context.

If fail: Docker build still copies unwanted files? Verify .dockerignore in same dir as Dockerfile. Check glob patterns.

Step 4: Build and Test

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

Got: Container starts with right R version and all packages available. sessionInfo() output confirms R version.

If fail: Check build logs for system dependency errors. Add missing -dev packages to apt-get install layer.

Step 5: Optimize for Production

For production deployments, use multi-stage builds:

# 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 build makes smaller final image. Runtime stage has only compiled R packages, no build tools.

If fail: Packages fail to load in runtime stage? Confirm library path in COPY --from=builder matches where R installed packages. Check with R -e ".libPaths()" in both stages.

Checks

• docker build finishes without errors
• Container starts and R session works
• All required packages available
• .dockerignore drops unneeded files
• Image size reasonable for use case
• Rebuilds fast when only code changes (layer caching works)

Pitfalls

• Missing system dependencies: R packages with compiled code need -dev libraries. Check error messages during install.packages()
• Layer cache invalidation: Copying all files before installing packages invalidates cache on every code change. Copy lockfile first.
• Large images: Use rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* after apt-get install. Consider multi-stage builds.
• Timezone issues: Add ENV TZ=UTC or install tzdata for timezone-aware operations
• Running as root: Add non-root user for production: 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

See Also

• setup-docker-compose - orchestrate multiple containers
• containerize-mcp-server - special case for MCP R servers
• optimize-docker-build-cache - advanced caching strategies
• manage-renv-dependencies - renv.lock feeds into Docker builds