Integrate Workbench with reticulate
and Python
These instructions describe how to use the reticulate
R package with Posit Workbench to interface with Python.
Once you configure Python and reticulate
with Workbench, users are able to develop mixed R and Python content with Shiny apps, R Markdown reports, and Plumber APIs that call out to Python code using the reticulate package.
What is reticulate?
The reticulate
package provides a comprehensive set of tools for interoperability between Python and R. The package includes facilities for:
- Calling Python from R in a variety of ways including from R Markdown, sourcing Python scripts, importing Python modules, and using Python interactively within an R session.
- Translation between R and Python objects. For example, between R and Pandas data frames, or between R matrices and NumPy arrays.
- Flexible binding to different versions of Python including virtual environments and Conda environments.
Reticulate embeds a Python session within your R session, enabling seamless, high-performance interoperability. If you’re supporting R developers that use Python for some of their work or a data science team that uses both languages, reticulate can dramatically streamline their workflow. The RStudio User Guide’s Getting started - Python section and the R Interface to Python guide may be a good reference to share with those users.
Requirements
RStudio uses the reticulate R package to interface with Python, and so the Python integration requires:
- Installation of a supported Python version (see https://devguide.python.org/versions/)
- The reticulate R package (1.20, or newer; as available from CRAN)
Step 1. Install Python for all users
- First, follow the Install Python instructions on the server with Workbench in a central location for all users (e.g.,
/opt/python/3.11.5/
). - Once you have completed the steps to Install Python, continue to Step 2.
Step 2. Install reticulate
for all users
Install the
reticulate
R package for all users in the global R library. For example, if R is installed in/opt/R/4.3.1/
, then you you can use the following command:$ sudo /opt/R/4.3.1/bin/Rscript -e 'install.packages("reticulate")'
Step 3. Configure reticulate
with Python for all users
Set the
RETICULATE_PYTHON
environment variable for all Workbench users by putting the following line in the R session-specific profile script used by Workbench.
For example, if Python is installed in/opt/python/3.11.5/
, then you you can use the following configuration:File: /etc/rstudio/rsession-profile
export RETICULATE_PYTHON=/opt/python/3.11.5/bin/python
Next Steps
Please see the RStudio User Guide to explore how Python can be used together with R and RStudio.