R Shiny
R Shiny is an open-source R package that allows users to build interactive web applications directly in R without requiring extensive knowledge of web development (HTML, CSS, or JavaScript). It is widely used for data visualization, dashboard creation, and interactive analytics. Shiny applications run in a web browser and can be hosted locally, on Shiny Server, or deployed to ShinyApps.io or other cloud platforms. R Shiny is a game-changer for those who want to create interactive applications and data-driven dashboards without needing deep web development expertise. Whether you’re an analyst, researcher, or developer, Shiny provides a powerful and flexible way to bring your data to life.
Key Advantages
- User-Friendly & R-Based: Shiny is built in R, so data analysts and statisticians can create interactive applications without learning additional web development frameworks.
- Highly Interactive: Shiny’s reactive programming framework allows applications to update dynamically based on user inputs, making it ideal for dashboards and live data exploration.
- Seamless Data Integration: Supports real-time data processing, machine learning models, and big data visualization by integrating with R’s powerful analytical capabilities.
- Flexible UI Design: Shiny provides built-in UI functions (
fluidPage(),navbarPage(), etc.) and allows customization using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. - Scalability & Deployment: Apps can be deployed on ShinyApps.io, RStudio Connect, AWS, or Docker, making it easy to share interactive reports with stakeholders.
Shiny installation and load
install.packages("shiny")
library(shiny)Open a new shiny R file
Please go to the File -> New file -> Shiny Web App... in R studio, then, you can see the below window.
Type the Application name and setup the directory, and please click the Create button.
When finishing above step, an example file will be opened in R studio as follows:
library(shiny)
# Define UI for application that draws a histogram
ui <- fluidPage(
# Application title
titlePanel("Old Faithful Geyser Data"),
# Sidebar with a slider input for number of bins
sidebarLayout(
sidebarPanel(
sliderInput("bins",
"Number of bins:",
min = 1,
max = 50,
value = 30)
),
# Show a plot of the generated distribution
mainPanel(
plotOutput("distPlot")
)
)
)
# Define server logic required to draw a histogram
server <- function(input, output) {
output$distPlot <- renderPlot({
# generate bins based on input$bins from ui.R
x <- faithful[, 2]
bins <- seq(min(x), max(x), length.out = input$bins + 1)
# draw the histogram with the specified number of bins
hist(x, breaks = bins, col = 'darkgray', border = 'white',
xlab = 'Waiting time to next eruption (in mins)',
main = 'Histogram of waiting times')
})
}
# Run the application
shinyApp(ui = ui, server = server)Run the App
Please follow the steps below figures.
First, click the Run App button and the app will appear on the localhost page.
This stage does not mean the application has been officially deployed yet. It is merely running on your local computer.
Therefore, you can use this as a kind of ‘preview’ to see how it looks before deploying.
Anyway, after clicking the Run App button, you may see the result as given below.
Deploy the App
To deploy your app to the shinyapps.io, follow these steps:
Click the Publish Application... (Figure 1)
Figure 1
In my case, I have already registered multiple accounts,
but if you haven’t, there will be nothing under the Publish From Account.
Therefore, click Add New Account (Figure 2).
Figure 2
In this example, we will learn how to deploy using the ShinyApps.io.
Click the ShinyApps.io (Figure 3).
Figure 3
If you are new to R shiny, you may not understand what this page means.
I will assume that you do not have a ShinyApps.io account.
Click on the Get started here or the your account on ShinyApps link as shown below (Figure 4).
(Or click here: https://www.shinyapps.io/)
Figure 4
I will assume that you have completed the registration by following the link.
Then, the following page should appear first.
Set the name of your account and click the save button (Figure 5).
Figure 5
This will bring up the Getting Started page.
Follow this steps as given the page, you should intall the rsconnect package in your R.
After installing the package, click the Show secret, and then, the Copy to clipboard (Figure 6).
Then, copy and paste this clipboard as mentioned in Figure 4, and click the Connect Account in Figure 4.
Figure 6
You’re almost there! Now, select your account, edit the Title, and finally, click the Publish button! (Figure 7)
Figure 7
When you return to your account on ShinyApps.io, you will see the apps published to your account (Figure 8).
Figure 8
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