What is the easiest way to install R web application via RApache?

Question

I use Windows XP and R for my desktop use. And a shared hosting account (in some company) for my web hosting.

I want to create an R web application, and I understand that one of these ways is to use R with Apache via RApache , but since my current shared hosting plan does not allow me to install RApache, I got a little stuck.

So ... (and here is my question), what would be the easiest / fastest / most economical way to get started?

• Buy a more expensive hosting package?

• Hosting yourself? (on the windows ?!)

• to switch to another hosting company that allows the use of RApache?

Any suggestion would be most helpful.

Answer 1

Self-hosting is an option if you insist on using RApache. It might be easier than you think. Here is a link to a blog post that I read a month ago before I decided to buy hardware and a server for my own files. I just watched this seven minute YouTube video entitled “ R Web Application - World World using RApache ” I believe it was published today.

Seven minutes later, the author browses the Hello World site using RApache, then goes through a more ambitious example, creating an input form for entering data, and then passing it to a specific R function - an exemplary fragment of what I suspect most people will want to use RApache for.

The second option is to use a web framework. My recommendation here is Django . What for? It is written in Python, so you can access the R functions through python bindings (RPy2). Secondly, if you are not an experienced web developer, Django is in many ways a great platform to start with, because it is really a “complete” solution - it works more or less out of the box. In addition, there is a significant and growing set of quality walkthroughs, code snippets, and even packaged django sites to learn from.

Answer 2

they seem to provide VMWare images for quick launch.

I suggest you download the VMWare player and try the image. Since RApache is not available for Windows, this is the easiest way, I think. I would not use this for hosting, but first I'll try to see if this stack is really suitable for your application. In addition, it allows you to test things locally.

Answer 3

Doug, Should I read your suggestion that a Django application can invoke RPy2 functionality without RApache? If so, this seems like a solution for people on shared hosting who cannot install the RAPache module.