A single tool to manage R packages, lockfiles, and R versions. Supports CRAN, Bioconductor, and GitHub.
uvr leverages parallel downloads and native extraction — no R process overhead. Cold-cache benchmarks on macOS, median of 3 runs. All tools use P3M as CRAN mirror.
A complete, modern workflow for R projects — from package resolution to R version management.
Parallel downloads, native extraction, and zero R startup overhead. 9–40x faster than traditional tools.
Deterministic uvr.lock captures exact versions and checksums. What works today works tomorrow.
Each project gets its own library in .uvr/library/. No more version conflicts across projects.
Install and switch R versions with uvr r install and uvr r use. Pin per-project via .r-version.
Install from any registry. Specify GitHub packages directly in your manifest.
--frozen mode ensures CI uses exactly the locked versions. No surprises in production.
Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows. Same workflow everywhere your code runs.
One ~8 MB binary with zero dependencies. Download it and you're done.
Creates a uvr.toml manifest with your R version and empty dependency list.
Resolves dependencies, writes the lockfile, and installs everything in one step.
Installs exactly what the lockfile says. Idempotent and fast on repeat runs.
Executes R with the project library on the search path. No library() preamble needed.
A complete R project manager in a single binary — no other tool covers this much ground.
| Feature | uvr | renv | pak | rv | rig | pixi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Declarative manifest | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Lockfile | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| R version management | ✓ | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Run scripts in isolated env | ✓ | — | — | — | — | ✓ |
| CRAN packages | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓* |
| Bioconductor packages | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓* |
| GitHub packages | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| System dep detection (Linux) | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | — | ✓ |
| Single config file | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| CI mode (--frozen) | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | ✓ |
| No admin rights required | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Single static binary | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Windows support | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
* Via conda-forge channel, not native CRAN/Bioconductor integration.
Multiple installation methods to fit your workflow.
macOS and Linux — downloads the latest release
Install via your favorite AUR helper
Install via the companion R package
Build with Cargo (requires Rust toolchain)
The companion R package lets you manage your project without leaving the R console. Initialize projects, add packages, sync environments, and manage R versions — all from familiar R syntax.
View uvr-r on GitHub →