15  Relation to other networks

15.1 Relation to other networks

Packages on R-universe may also exist on other networks, such as CRAN or Bioconductor.

It’s important to note that CRAN is not intended to be the sole CRAN-style package repository, as explained by CRAN co-founder Kurt Hornik in his useR! 2024 keynote.

15.2 Can we use R-universe to host older versions of CRAN packages?

While hosting older versions of CRAN packages on R-universe is technically possible, it may not work as intended.

• R’s install.packages() and update.packages() functions will always install the latest version of a package available across all configured repositories.
  
• As a result, the older version hosted on R-universe might be automatically updated to the latest CRAN version on the user’s machine.

15.3 Can we use R-universe to host a fork of a CRAN package?

Hosting a fork of a CRAN package on R-universe is possible but generally not recommended.

• The CRAN version of the package may overwrite your fork when the user runs install.packages() or update.packages().
  
• Additionally, other packages depending on the original CRAN package may not be compatible with your fork, leading to potential issues.