Install Shiny Server on Raspberry Pi with R

If you want to use place a Shiny Server on a Raspberry Pi, 1) yes the RPi can handle it! 2) these scripts will allow you to do it effortlessly. Regarding the performance of a Shiny Server on a Raspberry Pi, the device seems to handle it quite well and I haven't seen significant processing/speed issues.

Contents

• Warnings
• Inportant Tasks Solved in the Script
• Installation with Stable R
• Installation with Backport R
• Uninstall Shiny-Server and R
• Future Maintenance

Warnings

These scripts are provided "as is" with no warranty of any kind. As such, users should read the script to ensure they are confident in its integrity. The script is well contained and should not interfere with anything on the RPi beyond Shiny Server-related tasks. These have been tested and are known to work as of January 24, 2021.

Important Tasks Solved in the Script

• Handles system library dependencies for installing and running a Shiny Server
• Installs all R packages required for Shiny Server to start and index.html to successfully open
• Edits external/node/install-node.sh to obtain the correct NodeJS installation for a Raspberry Pi
• Builds Shiny Server via packaging/make-package.sh
• Configures Shiny Server, sets up initial server applications, and places all the required system directories
• Resolves Pandoc issues arising from Shiny Server using it's packaged Pandoc distribution by removing this directory and giving the system-installed version precedence

Installation with Stable R

The provided Stable_RPiShinyServer.sh script will install the latest Shiny Server distribution along with the stable R version via the following command (N.B. the script takes awhile to run due to the R library installations):

wget -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pjaselin/ShinyServer_On_RaspberryPi/master/StableInstall_RPiShinyServer.sh | bash

Installation with Backport R

Warning: you may attempt this at your own risk. If you already have R installed, this could remove all previously installed R libraries. If you would like to try using the latest (or later) version of R, you may follow these instructions to point the Raspberry Pi to the required mirrors (N.B. if you would like to upgrade your Raspberry Pi to a newer OS such as the Buster-based version, see here: https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/raspbian/updating.md).

Add Secure Apt Key

Sourced from: https://cloud.r-project.org/bin/linux/debian/#secure-apt

sudo apt-get install dirmngr --install-recommends
sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keys.gnupg.net --recv-key 'E19F5F87128899B192B1A2C2AD5F960A256A04AF'
sudo apt-get -y update && sudo apt-get -y upgrade

Add the Branch-Specific Mirror

Sourced from: https://cloud.r-project.org/bin/linux/debian/#supported-branches

For Buster & R 4

echo 'deb http://cloud.r-project.org/bin/linux/debian buster-cran40/' | sudo tee --append /etc/apt/sources.list

For Buster & R 3.6.3

echo 'deb http://cloud.r-project.org/bin/linux/debian buster-cran35/' | sudo tee --append /etc/apt/sources.list

For Stretch & R 3.6.3

echo 'deb http://cloud.r-project.org/bin/linux/debian stretch-cran35/' | sudo tee --append /etc/apt/sources.list

Finally Install Shiny Server and R

wget -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pjaselin/ShinyServer_On_RaspberryPi/master/StableInstall_RPiShinyServer.sh | bash

Uninstall Shiny Server and R

To remove Shiny Server AND R, please run the following command to execute the Uninstall_RPiShinyServer.sh script:

wget -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pjaselin/ShinyServer_On_RaspberryPi/master/Uninstall_RPiShinyServer.sh | bash

If you would only like to remove Shiny Server, please look into this script and only use what you need.

Future Maintenance

I will try to keep this updated as the Shiny Server repo develops. Please submit issues if you run into problems and I'll do my best to make changes to the script as necessary. PRs are also welcome!