bookdown.org Hosting Service Sunset
Since its launch in 2016, bookdown.org has served a vital role in hosting over 7,000 books made with the bookdown package. However, technology has advanced significantly since then. We have now developed Posit Connect Cloud, a new, robust, and fully-managed publishing platform designed for the modern data science workflow. This platform supports bookdown books as well as a wide range of content, including Quarto documents, Shiny applications, Python frameworks, and more.
To best support the open source community and provide you with a scalable, modern environment, we have made the decision to decommission the bookdown.org website. This shift allows us to focus on supporting the community on Connect Cloud, where we can provide enhanced features, reliability, and integration moving forward. We know that bookdown is an important home for the R community, so this decommissioning is a gradual process that takes place over the next year.
Please note that the bookdown R package remains actively maintained and developed by Posit, and the sunset only affects the public hosting service.
Our Recommended Alternative: Posit Connect Cloud
For users with content published on bookdown.org, we strongly suggest migrating it to Posit Connect Cloud. Posit Connect Cloud offers:
- Unlimited, Free, Document Publishing: All users can publish an unlimited number of publicly shared documents for free.
- Polyglot Support: Publish R Markdown, Quarto, Shiny apps, and a host of Python frameworks on the same platform.
- Flexible Deployment: Deploy from your IDE or directly from GitHub.
- Paid Plans with Advanced Functionality: Gain access to advanced sharing and scheduling capabilities.
We’ve published a detailed migration guide here.
While Posit Connect Cloud is our recommended platform, you are free to host the static files generated by the bookdown package on any platform you choose, including free services such as GitHub Pages or Netlify.
Key dates for the bookdown.org sunset
|
Action |
Date |
Details |
|
New Account Registration Disabled |
Today, December 5, 2025 |
No new accounts can be created. |
|
New Uploads and Edits Disabled |
January 15, 2026 |
No new content can be uploaded, and existing content can no longer be updated. Existing content can still be deleted, and source files can be downloaded. |
|
Service Sunset |
January 31, 2026 |
Existing content is still accessible, but can no longer be deleted. Source files can no longer be downloaded. |
|
Website Taken Down |
January 31, 2027 |
Existing content is decommissioned and no longer accessible. |
We are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible. For any questions regarding the bookdown.org decommission, please contact us at bookdown-sunset@posit.co.
