Installation

This workflow describes how to install Posit Connect from the Posit package repository.

Prerequisites

Note

Most installations use multiple versions of Python and R.

Step 1. Download and install

Note

Download and/or use of Posit Connect is governed under the terms of the Posit End User License Agreement. By downloading you agree to the terms posted there.

Run the following to subscribe to the Posit package repository and install Connect:

Terminal
curl -1sLf \
  'https://dl.posit.co/public/pro/setup.deb.sh' \
  | sudo -E bash

sudo apt install rstudio-connect
sudo apt-mark hold rstudio-connect
Terminal
curl -1sLf \
  'https://dl.posit.co/public/pro/setup.rpm.sh' \
  | sudo -E bash

sudo dnf install rstudio-connect
sudo dnf install 'dnf-command(versionlock)'
sudo dnf versionlock add rstudio-connect
Terminal
curl -1sLf \
  'https://dl.posit.co/public/pro/setup.rpm.sh' \
  | sudo -E bash

sudo zypper install rstudio-connect
sudo zypper addlock rstudio-connect

The package is held after installation to prevent unintended upgrades during routine system maintenance. See the Upgrade page when you are ready to upgrade Connect.

Verify install

Verify the installation by ensuring that the service is running:

Terminal
sudo systemctl status rstudio-connect

Step 2. Verify and activate your license

Verify the status of your license by running the following command:

Terminal
sudo /opt/rstudio-connect/bin/license-manager status

If you have a license file, transfer that <license-file>.lic file to the server hosting Posit Connect. Ensure ownership and permissions are correct, then activate it with the commands:

Terminal
sudo chown root <license-file>.lic
sudo chmod 0600 <license-file>.lic
sudo cp -a <license-file.lic> /var/lib/rstudio-connect/

Those commands assume that the Connect server runs as root, as that is the most common way to run Connect. If you run Connect as an unprivileged user such as rstudio-connect, the license file needs to be owned by that user.

Terminal
sudo chown rstudio-connect <license-file>.lic
sudo chmod 0600 <license-file>.lic
sudo cp -a <license-file.lic> /var/lib/rstudio-connect/

Posit recommends using license file activation rather than license key activation. License files work well in all environments including ephemeral, container-based, or air-gapped environments. See License activation methods for more details.

For full details and information about license key activation, see the License management page of this guide.

Step 3. Initial configuration

It is important to configure the following before logging into Connect for the first time:

  • Server email address

  • Server address

  • Authentication

Server email address and server address

Property Description
Server.SenderEmail The email address from which Connect sends emails.
Server.Address The server address/public URL of your server.
Server.EmailProvider Determines how Connect sends emails.
SMTP Sends email using an SMTP endpoint.
Warning

If you do not properly configure the Server.Address, then you cannot add users to the server because the account confirmation link requires the Server.Address to be configured. Additionally, some other Connect features are not available without this property defined.

  • Make changes in the /etc/rstudio-connect/rstudio-connect.gcfg file using the examples below:

    File: /etc/rstudio-connect/rstudio-connect.gcfg
    [Server]
Address = "https://rstudio-connect.company.com"
EmailProvider = "SMTP"
SenderEmail = "account@company.com"

[SMTP]
Host = "smtp.example.com"
Port = 587
User = "service-user"
Password = "service-password"
Important

By default, Connect’s email functionality is disabled until it is properly configured. We strongly recommend configuring it now so all of Connect’s features are available right away.

If you choose not to configure email, set Server.EmailProvider = "none" and ensure Server.Address is set. New users can then be confirmed by clicking Add User in the Connect dashboard, which generates a confirmation link to share directly.

/etc/rstudio-connect/rstudio-connect.gcfg
[Server]
Address = "http://connect.example"
EmailProvider = "none"

  • Save your changes and restart Connect:

    Terminal
    sudo systemctl restart rstudio-connect

For more information about configuring these properties, see the Editing the Configuration File section.

Authentication

Connect can be configured by customizing the Authentication.Provider property in the /etc/rstudio-connect/rstudio-connect.gcfg file. The Authentication section provides detailed explanations and additional information about configuring authentication in Connect.

Warning

Failure to configure authentication before logging in for the first time can cause serious problems for you in the future. Although it is possible to change the authentication method at a later date, it is cumbersome and can result in a loss of user content subscriptions, and other assets. However, if you plan on using Connect on a trial basis using Password authentication, which is not recommended, then you are now able to log into Connect.

Step 4. Log in and verify configuration

Important

By default, the first user to log into Connect is assigned administrative privileges. Additionally, other users can be promoted to administrators after the configuration is complete.

  • Log in:

    • Open a web browser and navigate to the public URL that you defined for your Connect server. The default location is: http://your-connect-server-address:3939/

    • Click Sign Up.

    • Populate the fields with the required information, then click Sign Up. Log into Connect, and the Content List UI displays.

  • Verify email:

    • From the Menu bar, click System.

    • Under Email Settings, click Send Test Email.

    • Wait a few moments and then verify that the test email was successfully delivered.

  • Verify configuration:

    • To verify the initial configuration that you applied during the installation, we recommend that you do one of the following:

      • Have a Posit user log into Connect and publish one of the Jump Start Examples that display when they log into Connect.

      • Publish content to Connect using one of the Publish to Posit Connect How to Guides.

    • If a user can publish content to Connect, then you successfully configured Connect.

Step 5. Start using Connect

Congratulations! You have verified that users can log in, deploy content, and view content on the server.

There are several additional features and configuration options that you can enable, if you wish.

Continue to the Initial Configuration section of the documentation for more information.

Additional information

Older configurations might be incompatible with newer versions of our products. If you require a previous version, we have several supported versions available on our Previous Versions page.

Please consider:

  • Posit offers limited support for older versions

  • If you are using an older version and run into any issues, you might be asked to upgrade to receive support

Please review our Support Agreement for more detail on our product support policy.