Off-Host Execution Installation & Configuration
Overview
Posit Connect supports an off-host execution model in which environments are built and content is executed in containers using Kubernetes. The choice to leverage container-based infrastructure can ease management of resource constraints and server costs, maximize process isolation, improve reproducibility, and simplify the maintenance of R and Python environments and system dependencies.
In Connect’s local execution model, the Connect application service and all published content execute on the same host. When using off-host execution with Kubernetes, published content is executed in an off-host container that is completely isolated from the Posit Connect service. For more detail on the available execution models, see the Architecture Overview.
Posit requires use of the Connect Helm chart to install and execute Connect in off-host execution mode.
For help with any other topology or deployment options, please contact your Posit Customer Success Representative or support@posit.co and request an architecture review session with Posit Solutions Engineering.
After completing the steps outlined within this document, you should have a Connect deployment on Kubernetes. Client requests for content execution will be served by pods running in the cluster.
This guide is not necessarily suitable for all environments. Some instances might require you to deviate from the guide. In particular, if your organization has strict requirements about certificate management, storage, or ingress that prevent you from following some of these steps. If this is the case, review these examples to see if there is one that better matches your requirements.
Use of Connect’s off-host execution feature (in new or existing installations) requires the following steps:
- Planning and Analysis
- Kubernetes Cluster Preparation
- Configure your Helm Chart values
- Kubernetes Configuration / Deployment
- Post-deployment
The off-host sections of this guide assume that the reader has a working knowledge of Kubernetes and Helm.
Feature requirements
- Posit Connect >= v2023.05.0
- A valid Posit Connect enterprise license
- Kubernetes
- A working Kubernetes cluster
- API access to the Kubernetes cluster
- kubectl: The Kubernetes command-line tool
- Helm v3: The Kubernetes package manager
- PostgreSQL
- StorageClass backed by POSIX-compliant
PersistentVolumestorage that supports symlinks andReadWriteManyaccess.
If your existing Posit Connect installation uses SQLite, follow the steps under the Changing Database Provider workflow to migrate to PostgreSQL.
To switch from using server-local storage to a networked file-system, follow the Migration to NFS workflow.
To request a 45-day evaluation license, email your Posit Customer Success representative or sales@posit.co and specify that you are trialing this feature.