Step 6 — Deploy

Note: The template ships 06-deploy.R — a plain R script with the rsconnect::deployApp() boilerplate commented out, not sourced by 00-master.R. This vignette covers the same content in tutorial form, plus deployment-target choice and post-publish setup.

What gets deployed

The Posit Connect / shinyapps.io bundle is app.R + landing-page.md + app-data/ — nothing else. Specifically excluded:

Excluded	Why
sample-data/	Raw inputs — already baked into app-data/ by Steps 1, 3, 5.
data-raw/	Generators for the sample data; not needed at runtime.
01-shapes.qmd … 05-compile.qmd	Pipeline scripts — already executed; their outputs are in app-data/.
06-deploy.R	This script. Self-evidently not deployed.
docs/	Optional rendered Quarto trail. If you publish it at all, it goes to GitHub Pages, not Connect.
00-master.R, R/, README.md	Build-time scaffolding.

The appFiles argument on rsconnect::deployApp() enforces this — see the snippet under CLI deployment below.

Deployment targets

Pick one — they’re not mutually exclusive but one is enough to start:

Target	Audience	Pre-requisites	Notes
WB internal Posit Connect	WB staff	VPN / WB network access; an account on the Connect server.	The default for World Bank deployers. Talk to GeoPov or your IT contact for an account.
WB external (public-facing) Posit Connect	Public	Approval from the relevant WB programme; account on the public Connect server.	Use when the dashboard is meant to be cited / linked from public WB material.
shinyapps.io	Public	A free or paid shinyapps.io account.	Fast path for prototypes, demos, and small public PTI apps. The free tier is enough to start.

For internal Posit Connect, the canonical URL today is https://w0lxopshyprdap01.worldbank.org/ (subject to change — confirm with GeoPov).

Permissions setup

Before you can deploy you need:

1. An account on the target server. For WB Posit Connect, contact the GeoPov team (or equivalent for your programme) and request publisher access. shinyapps.io is self-service via shinyapps.io.
2. VPN connectivity (WB internal Connect only). Without VPN the publish call can’t reach the server.
3. An API key or auth token loaded into your IDE. RStudio prompts for this the first time you click Publish; the CLI flow uses rsconnect::setAccountInfo() once per server.

In RStudio: Tools → Global Options → Publishing → Connect → Add and follow the prompts.

In Positron: open the command palette (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P) → Connect: Add Server and follow the prompts.

CLI deployment

The boilerplate from 06-deploy.R, with the comment markers removed:

#| eval: false
rsconnect::deployApp(
  appDir   = ".",
  appFiles = c("app.R", "landing-page.md", "app-data"),
  appName  = basename(getwd()),
  server   = NULL                       # set to your Connect server, e.g. "w0lxopshyprdap01.worldbank.org"
)

Run from the project root. appFiles is the deploy whitelist — app.R, landing-page.md, and the entire app-data/ directory. Anything outside that list is ignored even if it sits next to app.R.

server = NULL defaults to your single configured Connect server. If you have multiple servers registered (e.g. WB internal + shinyapps.io), pass the URL or short name explicitly.

UI deployment

Both major IDEs ship a one-click publish flow that wraps deployApp() under the hood:

RStudio

1. Open app.R in the editor.
2. Click the blue Publish button in the top-right of the editor pane.
3. In the dialog: pick the destination Connect server, confirm the file list (it should auto-select app.R, landing-page.md, app-data/ from the manifest).
4. Click Publish.

The first publish to a new server prompts for credentials (RStudio caches them after).

Positron

1. Open app.R.
2. Command palette (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P) → Connect: Publish.
3. Same dialog flow as RStudio.

Post-deployment

Once Posit Connect confirms the deploy, two more things to set up before sharing the URL:

1. Viewer permissions. On the Connect dashboard for your app: Access → Sharing → Add user/group. The default for new apps is “Owner only” — colleagues will hit a 403 until you grant them access. For public dashboards, set Anyone, no login required.
2. Resource limits (optional). The default Connect runtime settings are usually fine; only revisit if your app is unresponsive under realistic load.
3. Custom URL (optional). Connect lets you pick a friendlier URL slug than the default UUID. Set it under Settings → Vanity URL on your app’s Connect page.

After the first deploy, every subsequent deployApp() call updates the existing app at the same URL — there’s no need to delete-and-republish.

Optional: publish docs/ to GitHub Pages

If 00-master.R rendered the Quarto trail under docs/ (the orchestrator can do this for any documented repo), you can publish it as a project landing page on GitHub Pages — separately from the Connect deploy:

1. Push the docs/ folder to a branch (commonly main).
2. In your GitHub repo: Settings → Pages → Source = main / /docs.
3. GitHub serves the built site at https://<org>.github.io/<repo>/.

This is purely optional and orthogonal to the Connect deploy — docs/ is excluded from the Connect bundle by design.

Where to ask for help

• GeoPov SharePoint — internal documentation, account requests, server URLs (search “Posit Connect” / “PTI dashboard” on the GeoPov SharePoint).
• GitHub Issues — open an issue at https://github.com/worldbank/devPTIpack/issues for package bugs, missing features, or documentation gaps.
• Posit Connect docs — https://docs.posit.co/connect/ covers everything Connect-side (auth, scaling, scheduled jobs).
• shinyapps.io docs — https://docs.posit.co/shinyapps.io/ covers the public-cloud target.

Done

Your PTI app is live. To iterate:

1. Edit your raw inputs under sample-data/ (or replace them with new official data).
2. Re-run source("00-master.R") — Steps 1, 3, 5 regenerate app-data/.
3. Re-run rsconnect::deployApp(...) (or hit Publish) — the existing Connect URL updates in place.