R

Debian Packages

If you're running Debian, it's easiest to use the official Debian packages (when present) to install R packages. Search for them via apt. For example:

apt search tidyr

Once you've found the package, install it:

apt install r-cran-tidyr

If you can't find a Debian package for the R module you want installed, then you can install it directly from CRAN (see below).

CRAN

CRAN is the main repository for community projects.

Installing packages from CRAN can range from dull, to thrilling, to aggravating beyond all belief. It will quickly become apparent which adventure you have chosen.

It is best to install packages to your home folder; this avoids the need for admin privileges.

First create a directory for the packages:

mkdir -p ~/.R/library

Then tell R you want to use this folder:

echo 'R_LIBS_USER="~/.R/library"' > ~/.Renviron

Packages from CRAN can now be installed using ìnstall.packages()` and will be installed into ~/.R/library. For example, to install packrat, start R and then run:

> install.packages("packrat")

Packrat

Packrat allows you to create isolated environments for R projects, similar to Python's "virtualenv". It is not installed by default, so you will need to follow the above instructions to install it.

To use packrat for your new stats project called "probably", we first need to create the project folder:

mkdir -p ~/.renvs/probably

Now, start R and initialize the folder as a packrat project:

> packrat::init("~/.renvs/probably")

Now you can install whatever packages you need (using install.packages()); they will all be stored in ~/.renvs/probably and will only be available when this packrat instance is activated.

When you're done, deactivate it:

> packrat::off()

If you start R from the project's packrat folder (~/.renvs/probably in this case), packrat will start the environment automatically.

Resources

Book: Statistical Rethinking: Bayesian statistics and general intellectual superiority. (english)
Book: Discovering Statistics Using R: A good, standard book with a narrative. (english)
Book: Grundlagen der Datenanalyse mit R: Encyclopedia style, covering all standard statistics. (german)