rserve-client
DESCRIPTION:
Ruby client for Rserve, a Binary R server (http://www.rforge.net/Rserve/).
Follows closely the new Java client API, but maintains all Ruby conventions when possible.
FEATURES / LIMITATIONS
- 100% ruby
- Uses TCP/IP sockets to interchange data and commands
- Requires Rserve installed on the server machine. On debian / ubuntu, you should use sudo apt-get install r-cran-rserve Pros:
- Work with Ruby 1.9.3, 2.0.0, 2.1.1, 2.3.1 (tested on Travis) and and JRuby 1.5.
- Retrieve and assign various R's datatypes: integer, doubles, chars, logical vectors, lists and raw data.
- Session allows to process data asynchronously. You start a command, detach the process and retrieve result later. You can marshall the session, store on file or database and use it when you need it.
- Ruby API follows closely the Java API, so any change on the server API could be adopted without much problem
- Fast: 5-10 times faster than RinRuby.
- Easy management of differences between R and Ruby, or "You can have your cake and eat it, too!"
- From R side: The evaluation of expression retrieves REXP object, with a lot of information from original variables on R. You can construct your REXP objects and assign them to variables on R fast using binary TCP/IP port or send complex expression without lost of time using void_eval
- Between R and Ruby: Every REXP object implements methods to convert to specific Ruby type: as_integers, as_doubles, as_strings
- From Ruby side: Every REXP objects has a to_ruby method, which automagicly converts every R type on equivalent Ruby type. So, a vector of size 1 is converted to an integer or double, a vector of size>1 returns an array, a named list returns a hash and so on. If you need to create a complex expression, you could always use method eval without problem Cons:
- Requires Rserve
- Limited features on Windows, caused by limitations on Rserve on this platform: single concurrent connection allowed, server crash on parse errors and can't spawn sessions.
RELATED LIBRARIES (Ruby / R)
- Rinruby [http://rinruby.ddahl.org/]
- 100% ruby
- Uses pipes to send commands and evals
- Uses TCP/IP Sockets to send and retrieve data
- Pros:
- Doesn't requires anything but R
- Works flawlessly on Windows
- Work with Ruby 1.8, 1.9 and JRuby 1.5
- All API tested
- Cons:
- VERY SLOW on assignation
- Very limited datatypes: Only vector and Matrix
- RSRuby
- C Extension for Ruby, linked to R's shared library
- Pros:
- Blazing speed! 5-10 times faster than Rserve and 100-1000 than RinRuby.
- Seamless integration with ruby. Every method and object is treated like a Ruby one
- Cons:
- Transformation between R and Ruby types aren't trivial
- Dependent on operating system, Ruby implementation and R version
- Ocassionaly crash
- Not available for alternative implementations of Ruby (JRuby, IronRuby and Rubinius)
TODO
Implements
- Original test
Spec
- Test suite on Rserve Java new API
- First tutorial on R
SYNOPSIS:
require 'rserve'
con=Rserve::Connection.new
# Evaluation retrieves a <tt>Rserve::REXP</tt> object
x=con.eval('x<-rnorm(1)')
=> #<Rserve::REXP::Double:0x000000010a81f0 @payload=[(4807469545488851/9007199254740992)], @attr=nil>
# You could use specific methods to retrieve ruby objects
x.as_doubles => [0.533736337958596]
x.as_strings => ["0.533736337958596"]
# Every Rserve::REXP could be converted to Ruby objects using
# method <tt>to_ruby</tt>
x.to_ruby => (4807469545488851/9007199254740992)
# The API could manage complex recursive list
x=con.eval('list(l1=list(c(2,3)),l2=c(1,2,3))').to_ruby
=> #<Array:19590368 [#<Array:19590116 [[(2/1), (3/1)]] names:nil>, [(1/1), (2/1), (3/1)]] names:["l1", "l2"]>
# You could assign a REXP to R variables
con.assign("x", Rserve::REXP::Double.new([1.5,2.3,5]))
=> #<Rserve::Packet:0x0000000136b068 @cmd=65537, @cont=nil>
con.eval("x")
=> #<Rserve::REXP::Double:0x0000000134e770 @payload=[(3/2), (2589569785738035/1125899906842624), (5/1)], @attr=nil>
# Rserve::REXP::Wrapper.wrap allows you to transform Ruby object to
# REXP, could be assigned to R variables
Rserve::REXP::Wrapper.wrap(["a","b",["c","d"]])
=> #<Rserve::REXP::GenericVector:0x000000010c81d0 @attr=nil, @payload=#<Rserve::Rlist:0x000000010c8278 @names=nil, @data=[#<Rserve::REXP::String:0x000000010c86d8 @payload=["a"], @attr=nil>, #<Rserve::REXP::String:0x000000010c85c0 @payload=["b"], @attr=nil>, #<Rserve::REXP::String:0x000000010c82e8 @payload=["c", "d"], @attr=nil>]>>
REQUIREMENTS:
- R
- Rserve
INSTALL:
sudo gem install rserve-client
LICENSE:
REngine - Java interface to R Copyright (C) 2004,5,6,7 Simon Urbanek Copyrigth (C) 2010-2017 Claudio Bustos (Ruby version)
This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA