2 Version-stable R development with Docker

In the context of productive solutions, it is essential to have full control over the code-base and environment to ensure reproducibility and stability of the setup. In the case of R-based projects, this implies fixing and aligning the version of R as well as package and system dependencies. In order to achieve well-managed release pipelines, a key aspect is to guarantee full equivalence of the development setup to (alternative) target productive stages.

This guide illustrates an approach to manage a version-stable R development environment based on containerized solutions leveraging the Rocker project, allowing the coexistence of multiple dockerized development flavors, to match various target production environments or projects.