You can use the programming language R in Jupyter Notebook by installing the IRkernel.
A notebook kernel is a computational engine that executes the code contained in a notebook document. The ipython kernel executes python code and the IRkernel runs R code which will be used later. But there are also kernels for many other languages.
Firstly, you need to install the latest anaconda package. If you haven’t done this before, walk through my post Jupyter Notebook – Installation.
Now you can get R working in Jupyter notebook by following simple command lines.
Step 1: Install the IRkernel.
After downloading and installing anaconda, you need to install the IRkernel. This will do anaconda for you. Just type the following command in the terminal.
conda install -c r ipython-notebook r-irkernel
Step 2: Install required R packages.
Now you need some additional R packages to get everything running. Open RStudio or any other IDE and type in the following command in the console.
install.packages(c('repr', 'IRdisplay', 'evaluate', 'crayon', 'pbdZMQ', 'devtools', 'uuid', 'digest'))
devtools::install_github('IRkernel/IRkernel')
Step 3: Loading the IRkernel.
After installing the packages, you have to load the IRkernel. Therefore call the installspec() function of the IRkernel package in the R console.
IRkernel::installspec()
Step 4: Install the Essentials.
Before you are able to run R in Jupyter Notebook, you will need some essentials to be installed. Use again the condacommand in the shell.
conda install -c r r-essentials
Step 5: Launch Jupyter Notebook.
Now you should be able to open Jupyter Notebook and select R as the notebook kernel.
jupyter notebook
A session should start in your terminal and automatically open the browser with Jupyter Notebook. You can create a new file by selecting the New button and choosing R as the Notebook.