Wasm comes to R

March 9, 2023

`Wasm comes to R`

Two developers collaborate on a project as they review code on a display in their workspace.

Posit (formerly RStudio) today released an early version of an R package that brings WebAssembly (Wasm) to R.

Aimed at developers, the WebR package (available at https://docs.r-wasm.org/webr/latest/) “is a version of the open-source R interpreter compiled for WebAssembly, along with a supporting [JavaScript] TypeScript library,” Posit’s George Stagg wrote in a blog post this morning.

“Absolute game changer of an #RStats package,” Bruno Rodrigues, author of the chronicler R package, said in a post on Mastodon.

The project includes a webR kernel for the JupyterLite Wasm project for Jupyter notebooks. That means users of JupyterLite can now run R code as well as Python in their notebooks. You can see that implemented at: https://jupyter.r-wasm.org/lab/index.html

The package includes a demo Web-based interactive R console. A version of that console is currently online at: https://webr.r-wasm.org/latest/.

Creators of WebR envision package developers using the Web console in online documentation, so those interested in a package could try it out without having to install it locally or run installation in the cloud.

In addition, it could have a number of uses in education and training. And, Stagg wrote, it offers the potential for a version of Shiny Web framework for R that wouldn’t require an R server. The new Shiny for Python already doesn’t require a server.

Sharon Machlis is Director of Editorial Data & Analytics at Foundry, where she works on data analysis and in-house editor tools in addition to writing. Her book Practical R for Mass Communication and Journalism was published by CRC Press. You can also find her on Mastodon at fosstodon.org/@smach

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