Install RStudio Server on CentOS 7 – Step-by-Step Guide

RStudio Server provides a browser-based interface for the RStudio environment, enabling developers to code using the R programming language directly through a web browser.

This guide walks you through the full process of installing RStudio Server on a CentOS 7 machine.

Requirements

• A CentOS 7 server with at least 1GB of RAM (2GB or more is recommended)
• An active user account with sudo privileges

Step 1: Perform System Updates

Start by logging in as a sudo-enabled user and executing the following commands:

sudo yum install epel-release

sudo yum update

sudo shutdown -r now

Once the server restarts, log in again with the same sudo user credentials.

Step 2: Install the R Programming Language

Use the command below to install R:

sudo yum install R -y

Step 3: Download and Install RStudio Server

Execute the following commands to download and install the current stable version of RStudio Server (version 1.0.136 at the time of writing):

cd

wget https://download2.rstudio.org/rstudio-server-rhel-1.0.136-x86_64.rpm

sudo yum install --nogpgcheck rstudio-server-rhel-1.0.136-x86_64.rpm -y

Tip: To check for the latest version, visit the official RStudio Server download page.

After installation, verify the service status and enable it on system startup:

sudo systemctl status rstudio-server.service

sudo systemctl enable rstudio-server.service

Step 4: Enable Web Access to RStudio Server

To make RStudio Server accessible via the browser, adjust the firewall to allow traffic on the required port:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --add-port=8787/tcp

sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Open your web browser and visit:

http://203.0.113.1:8787

Use the credentials of the sudo user to sign in. If all went well, you'll land in the RStudio Server IDE interface ready to start programming in R.

Step 5 (Optional): Install Additional CRAN Packages

If you’d like to extend R’s functionality with additional packages from CRAN, follow these steps.

Install Development Tools

sudo yum groupinstall "Development Tools" -y

Launch the R Shell

sudo -i R

Install a CRAN Package

install.packages('txtplot')

Exit the R Shell

q()

Conclusion

With these steps completed, your CentOS 7 server is now equipped with RStudio Server, giving you a powerful platform to write and test R code directly from your web browser. You can further enhance your environment by installing additional CRAN packages as needed. This setup is ideal for remote R development and data analysis workflows.