Install Posit Workbench

These instructions describe how to install Workbench on a Linux server.

For alternative installation instructions, see our recommended installation paths.

This page includes instructions for downloading Posit professional products. Download and/or use of these products is governed under the terms of the Posit End User License Agreement. By downloading, you agree to the terms posted there. The same instructions apply if you still use a legacy RStudio Server Pro license configuration (no launcher enabled).

Prerequisites

  • Review and meet the requirements

    Important

    Several requirements must be satisfied before installing Workbench, such as Database Connectivity. Review the Requirements page before proceeding with the installation.

  • Install R (required)

  • Install Python (optional, unless you wish to integrate Workbench with VS Code and/or Jupyter)

Step 1. Install R & Python

Install R

Installing R is required.

  • Install a version of R on the server following the steps to Install R.

    Note

    Our recommended installation instructions for R allow you to make multiple versions of R available and avoid replacing existing versions of R when updating system packages.

Install Python

Installing Python is optional unless you need to integrate Workbench with VS Code and/or Jupyter.

  • Install a version of Python on the server following the steps to Install Python.

    Note

    RStudio Pro and VS Code do not require Python. However, we recommend installing Python to provide users with the most choice and the option to develop in Python and/or R.

Step 2. Download and install

  • If you need to use Workbench with SELinux in enforcing mode, follow the steps provided in the Access and Security - SELinux Configuration documentation to install the SELinux policy module.

  • Download and install Workbench version 2026.04.0:

RHEL 9 / 10
curl -O https://download2.rstudio.org/server/rhel9/x86_64/rstudio-workbench-rhel-2026.04.0-x86_64.rpm
sudo yum install rstudio-workbench-rhel-2026.04.0-x86_64.rpm
RHEL 8
curl -O https://download2.rstudio.org/server/rhel8/x86_64/rstudio-workbench-rhel-2026.04.0-x86_64.rpm
sudo yum install rstudio-workbench-rhel-2026.04.0-x86_64.rpm
curl -O https://download2.rstudio.org/server/jammy/amd64/rstudio-workbench-2026.04.0-amd64.deb
sudo apt-get install ./rstudio-workbench-2026.04.0-amd64.deb
curl -O https://download2.rstudio.org/server/opensuse15/x86_64/rstudio-workbench-2026.04.0-x86_64.rpm
sudo zypper install rstudio-workbench-2026.04.0-x86_64.rpm

Upon installation, Workbench configuration file (/etc/rstudio/rserver.conf) contains default configuration to run Workbench using local launcher sessions, without SSL enabled, listening on port 8787.

We strongly recommend running Workbench on a secured network or enabling TLS/SSL. Please review the Secure Sockets (SSL) documentation before proceeding with the installation.

::: {.callout-note collapse=“true”} ## Air-gapped (offline) environments For air-gapped (offline) environments, download the files on a connected machine and securely copy them to the air-gapped environment following your approved process. Then, proceed to Step 3. Activate license and follow the offline activation option. :::

Step 3. Activate license

Run the following command to determine the status of your license:

sudo rstudio-server license-manager status

If you have a license file, transfer the file to the server hosting Posit Workbench, then use these commands to set the file ownership and access permissions for the Workbench service user and activate the license:

sudo chown rstudio-server <license-file>.lic
sudo chmod 0600 <license-file>.lic
sudo cp -a <license-file>.lic /var/lib/rstudio-server/
sudo rstudio-server restart
Noteserver-user

The default Workbench server-user is rstudio-server. If you have configured a different server-user, ensure that user has file ownership.

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 or the License Management page for more details.

Step 4. Verify installation

To check that the installation was successful, view Workbench in a browser at http://<SERVER-ADDRESS>:8787, replacing <SERVER-ADDRESS> with the DNS name or IP address of the server.

Next steps

Jupyter configuration

Posit is prioritizing JupyterLab sessions as the main IDE for native Jupyter tooling. JupyterLab is a better fit for using Jupyter Notebooks on Posit Workbench, given the more advanced and full-featured IDE experience compared to Notebook Classic.

JupyterLab is enabled by default for new installs via the labs-enabled=1 setting that’s placed in the default version of jupyter.conf.

Note

We have deprecated JupyterLab 3 now that maintenance support for that version has ended.

Classic Jupyter Notebook IDE sessions outside of JupyterLab are disabled by default, however they can be re-enabled by setting notebooks-enabled=1 in jupyter.conf.

For additional Jupyter configuration options, follow the process most appropriate for your installation type:

IDE selection

  • RStudio Pro: Is installed and enabled by default.
  • VS Code: Is installed and enabled by default.
  • Jupyter: See Jupyter configuration section above.

Quarto

Quarto is an open-source scientific and technical publishing system built on Pandoc and is bundled with RStudio Pro. To use it with VS Code or JupyterLab, Quarto needs to be added to the PATH. See Installing Quarto for instructions on installing Quarto or symlinking it into a location on the PATH for those editors.

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