**Best Practice for aligning R/Python/Quarto versions between Workbench session images and Connect execution environments (Kubernetes)**

General
1

Hi all,

We are running Posit Workbench and Connect on Kubernetes, and I'm trying to understand the recommended approach for keeping R, Python, and Quarto versions in sync between the Workbench session image and the Connect execution environment.

Our current situation:

Workbench session image (rstudio/r-session-complete:ubuntu2204-2026.04.0) ships with:

  • R 4.3.3 / 4.4.3
  • Python 3.11.13 / 3.12.11
  • Quarto (bundled with Workbench)

Connect execution environment (rstudio/content-pro:r4.5.2-py3.13.9-ubuntu2204) ships with:

  • R 4.5.2
  • Python 3.13.9
  • Quarto 1.8.25

None of these versions match, which means our users cannot successfully deploy content from Workbench to Connect ā€” Connect rejects the deployment because the required versions are not available in the execution environment.

My questions:

  1. Is there a recommended content-pro tag that is designed to match r-session-complete:ubuntu2204-2026.04.0? We noticed there is no content-pro:r4.4.3-py3.12.11-ubuntu2204 tag available on Docker Hub.

  2. Is the intended workflow to always manually align versions by installing additional runtimes into the session image, or should Posit be releasing matching image pairs?

Any guidance on the recommended approach would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

1 Like
2

This summary is based on a Posit call. It was also confirmed that changes regarding version handling are planned for a future release.

Posit Workbench ā†’ Connect: Compatibility Rules

Python
Workbench and Connect must use the same minor version.

āœ“ 3.12.4 ā†’ 3.12.11 (same minor, different patch)
āœ— 3.12.x ā†’ 3.13.x (different minor)

R
Workbench and Connect must use the same minor version.

āœ“ 4.4.1 ā†’ 4.4.3 (same minor, different patch)
āœ— 4.4.x ā†’ 4.5.x (different minor)

Quarto
The Connect execution environment must have a equal or newer Quarto version than the one used in the Workbench session at deployment time.

āœ“ Workbench 1.8.25 ā†’ Connect-Env 1.9.37 (newer)
āœ“ Workbench 1.9.37 ā†’ Connect-Env 1.9.37 (equal)
āœ— Workbench 1.9.37 ā†’ Connect-Env 1.8.25 (too old)

Important: The relevant Quarto version is the one in the Execution Environment (content-pro image), not the Connect server itself.

It is also important to understand that a Docker image tagged with the same version (e.g. 2026.04.0) for both Connect and Workbench does not necessarily mean they are compatible with each other. In fact, they most often are not. The installed Python, R, and Quarto versions within each image must always be checked and verified for compatibility.