Local Execution Installation & Configuration

We built this checklist to guide you through the process of getting started with a local installation of Posit Connect.

Additionally, if you want to integrate with Posit Package Manager or Posit Cloud, then please refer to:

Integration with Posit Package Manager (See also the Package Management section of the Connect Admin Guide)
Integration with Posit Cloud

Note

Items marked with an * are installed and initially configured using the Posit Connect Setup Tool.

Setup Tool Installation

The Posit Connect Setup Tool is the best way to install and get started with Connect. The Setup Tool provides a user-friendly UI to install, initially configure, test, and deploy Connect to your environment. The Setup Tool uses a script that works across all supported Linux distributions, validates the cryptographic signature of the downloaded package, and includes support for offline use.

The Setup Tool installs Connect and helps you set up basic configuration options, including:

Licensing
Authentication
Environments: R and Python Installations
Recommended System Packages
Email: SMTP
Databases: SQLite or PostgreSQL
Version Control
Posit Package Manager
Posit Cloud

Supported features

The full list of supported features that can be configured using the Setup Tool is provided here. Features that are not available for configuration with the Setup Tool can be configured at any time by editing the configuration file.

Installation procedures

To install Connect manually, follow the Install Posit Connect installation procedures.

Return to this guide after following the installation procedures to continue with the Initial Configuration steps below.

Initial configuration

Once Connect is installed, there are several configuration options that are available. This section provides an example of how you can manually edit the Connect configuration file to configure the public URL of your server.

Setup Tool post-installation procedures

Following the initial configuration of Connect using the Setup Tool, we recommend completing several integration steps and verification tasks.

Editing the configuration file

Connect is controlled primarily by the /etc/rstudio-connect/rstudio-connect.gcfg configuration file.

Edit this file to make server-wide configuration changes to the system. Learn about its file format and available options in the Configuration Appendix.

Although the Setup Tool configures the Server.Address property during the installation, we are going to manually configure the Server.Address server property in the following section to provide an example of how to edit the Connect configuration file.

Server address

The Server.Address property is the public URL used to access the server. This setting lets email include links pointing back to your server.

Note

Whenever Connect is deployed behind a proxy, you must configure Server.Address with the proxied location and not the local hostname of the Connect server.

Server.Address must contain hostname and port when your installation uses a non-standard port. You do not need to include port for an https:// URL on the standard HTTPS port 443 or an http:// URL on the standard HTTP port 80.

Here is a sample configuration with Server.Address:

; /etc/rstudio-connect/rstudio-connect.gcfg
[Server]
Address = https://posit-connect.company.com/

Here is a sample configuration with Connect using a non-standard port:

; /etc/rstudio-connect/rstudio-connect.gcfg
[Server]
Address = http://posit-connect.company.com:3939/

This example has Connect available underneath a specific URL path. It’s possible to have this situation when Connect is accessed through a proxy:

; /etc/rstudio-connect/rstudio-connect.gcfg
[Server]
SenderEmail = posit-connect@company.com
Address = https://proxy.company.com/connect/

Important

Please use a publicly available URL (like the one you set in Server.Address) when connecting rsconnect or the RStudio IDE to your Connect server. If a non-public address (e.g., localhost) is used for publishing content, rsconnect cannot automatically open the published content in the user’s browser.

Restart Connect after altering the rstudio-connect.gcfg configuration file:

sudo systemctl restart rstudio-connect

Note

Your platform may use alternate commands to restart Connect. Please see the Stopping and Starting section for instructions specific to your operating system version.

Sign in

Use a web browser to visit the Connect dashboard. This has a default location of http://your-connect-server:3939/. Click the Sign In link. If you are using an external authentication provider, specify your login credentials. If you are using password authentication, follow the Create a new account link and configure your account.

Note

The first account is marked as a Connect administrator.

Email sending

The email features in Connect are disabled unless email sending is properly configured. In this state, notifications that would be sent via email are only visible in the logs. Also, the built-in authentication cannot rely on emails for account confirmation or password reset. These operations instead require an administrator to act as an intermediary.

For additional information about the available email sending methods and configurations, please review the documentation for the following:

Note

The Server.Address property must be configured for email sending.

After adjusting your email configuration, you must restart Connect (see Stopping and Starting) and then send yourself a test message.

Sign into the Connect dashboard as an administrator and visit the Admin>Mail Settings page. Use the Send Test Email button to send yourself a message. Once that message arrives, you know that Connect is ready to send email.

Need help?

Posit provides professional support pursuant to our Support Agreement.

Please see our Support documentation for information such as opening an support ticket.