Too many R packages: CRAN is inundated with submissions
rworks.dev
June 24, 2026
3 min read
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Summary
CRAN is experiencing a rapid increase in the number of new R packages being accepted. There is ongoing debate within the R community about whether this growth is beneficial.
Key Takeaways
- The number of new R packages accepted by CRAN is increasing rapidly, raising questions about their overall benefit to the R community.
- Many new R packages lack sufficient documentation, with 40 out of 323 new packages in May having no README file, vignettes, or repository links.
- The ease of packaging and deploying software may lead to a proliferation of R packages that do not contribute meaningfully to statistical methods or the R community.
- There is a concern that most new R packages are not being used, reviewed, or discovered, indicating a potential lack of value.
Community Sentiment
Positives
- AI is accelerating the learning curve for R users, making the language more accessible to those who may have struggled with programming before.
- The tidyverse ecosystem is praised for its coherence and functionality in machine learning and statistical computing, offering a streamlined approach for users.
- CRAN's human oversight ensures a higher quality of packages compared to more chaotic repositories, which could lead to more reliable tools for data analysis.
Concerns
- The reliance on the tidyverse among R instructors is criticized for promoting redundant functions and anti-patterns, potentially hindering new users from mastering base R capabilities.
- Many packages on CRAN are seen as poorly documented or lacking in utility, contributing to a cluttered and confusing environment for users.
- There is a sentiment that R's popularity is waning compared to Python, suggesting a need for improvement in the language's ecosystem to retain users.