R package binaries

An open build chain for R binaries, with ARM64 and Alpine at its heart.

options(repos = "https://cran.rpkgs.com/amd64/noble/latest")

Built for R 4.4, 4.5 and 4.6. Other R versions are served source packages from CRAN instead of binaries.

Why does rpkgs.com exist?

R package binaries deserve a transparent, open-source build chain, including ARM64 and Alpine Linux treated. rpkgs.com exists to make that possible: a community-driven build process that can be inspected, adapted and contributed to.

When this project started in 2024, Posit Package Manager did not offer ARM64 Linux binaries; Posit announced support in September 2025. Posit's Service Terms of Use (February 2025), which cover Public Package Manager, limit service use to internal business purposes and restrict providing services to third parties and mirroring outside internal use. These are service restrictions; the packages themselves remain subject to their own licenses. This reinforced our motivation for an independent alternative with an open, inspectable build chain.

R-universe also leaves gaps in Linux distribution coverage. We aim to broaden that coverage, including Alpine for container workflows, and give ARM64 the same attention as x86_64.

The public service is free for the community. Read the project background.

Is this a service I can trust?

rpkgs.com is an open-source service brought to you by devXY and the R community. It received R Consortium funding in 2025. It builds binaries from CRAN packages and operates independently, with no official affiliation with CRAN.

Trust should be something you can assess: explore the source code and build infrastructure, or ask us a question before adopting it. rpkgs.com builds binaries from the official CRAN sources, similar as Posit and R universe.