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Comparison · Infra & APIs

cocoon vs simDAG

A side-by-side editorial comparison of cocoon and simDAG — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:r-package

cocoon vs simDAG: at a glance

FeaturecocoonsimDAG
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score0.02.5
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesr-package, statistics, reporting, maintenancer-package, causal-inference, dag-simulation, discrete-event-simulation
Last editorial update1h ago2h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is cocoon?

A statistics-formatting helper in maintenance mode, tracking R-devel one fix at a time

cocoon formats statistical output for manuscripts, converting model and test objects into publication-ready strings. Its surface settled early: format_stats() is a generic that dispatches on object class, introduced in 0.1.0 to supersede the earlier format_corr() and format_ttest(), and extended in 0.2.0 to cover aov, lm, glm and the lme4 and lmerTest mixed-model families. The two releases since have been single-issue compatibility fixes against changes to wilcox.test() in R-devel.

Read the full cocoon trajectory →

What is simDAG?

simDAG grew a second simulation engine, then spent two releases surviving upstream breakage.

simDAG generates data from directed acyclic graphs, with a library of node types covering Gaussian, binomial, Poisson, negative binomial, zero-inflated, ordered regression, Cox, and Aalen models. The 1.0.0 milestone opened node_cox() to arbitrary baseline hazard functions, which lets continuous time-dependent hazards drive discrete-event simulations. The two most recent releases exist only to keep the package on CRAN through breakage in lme4 and simr.

Read the full simDAG trajectory →

cocoon vs simDAG: editorial side-by-side

C
cocoon
INFRA · APIS
0.0

A statistics-formatting helper in maintenance mode, tracking R-devel one fix at a time

◆ Current state

cocoon formats statistical output for manuscripts, converting model and test objects into publication-ready strings. Its surface settled early: format_stats() is a generic that dispatches on object class, introduced in 0.1.0 to supersede the earlier format_corr() and format_ttest(), and extended in 0.2.0 to cover aov, lm, glm and the lme4 and lmerTest mixed-model families. The two releases since have been single-issue compatibility fixes against changes to wilcox.test() in R-devel.

◆ Where it's heading

The package reached feature completeness for its stated job quickly and has been in maintenance since early 2025. Both 0.2.1 and 0.3.1 address the same upstream moving part - how wilcox.test() computes exact versus asymptotic distributions in development versions of R - which is the shape of a package whose own code is stable and whose risk lives entirely in what it wraps. Nothing in the recent entries points at new statistical object types.

◆ Prediction

Further releases are likely to stay reactive, triggered by R-devel or dependency changes rather than by new formatting methods, unless a specific model class is requested.

S
simDAG
INFRA · APIS
2.5

simDAG grew a second simulation engine, then spent two releases surviving upstream breakage.

◆ Current state

simDAG generates data from directed acyclic graphs, with a library of node types covering Gaussian, binomial, Poisson, negative binomial, zero-inflated, ordered regression, Cox, and Aalen models. The 1.0.0 milestone opened node_cox() to arbitrary baseline hazard functions, which lets continuous time-dependent hazards drive discrete-event simulations. The two most recent releases exist only to keep the package on CRAN through breakage in lme4 and simr.

◆ Where it's heading

The package has been widening what a simulation can represent rather than deepening any one node. Networks arrived in 0.4.0 so individuals could depend on each other, discrete-event simulation in continuous time arrived in 0.5.0 as an alternative to the discrete-time engine, and 1.0.0 connected the two by letting continuous hazards feed the event-driven path. Alongside that, node types keep accumulating for outcome families the framework could not previously generate.

◆ Prediction

Expect the node library to keep expanding into outcome types the discrete-event engine can now support, though the recent releases suggest upstream dependency churn will keep consuming release slots.

Alternatives to cocoon and simDAG

Other Infra & APIs products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either cocoon or simDAG.

See all cocoon alternatives → · See all simDAG alternatives →

Recent activity from cocoon and simDAG

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 18d agosimDAGCRAN-retention patch for upstream lme4 breakage
  2. 1mo agococoonTest fix for wilcox.test changes in R-devel
  3. 3mo agosimDAGArbitrary baseline hazards connect node_cox() to discrete-event sims
  4. 4mo agosimDAGTest-only fix for an upstream simr update
  5. 5mo agosimDAGAdds node_polr() for ordinal outcomes and rsurv node support
  6. 7mo agosimDAGAdds continuous-time discrete-event simulation
  7. 10mo agosimDAGAdds link functions to node types and fixes a broken seed default
  8. 11mo agococoonSuppress an R-devel warning in htest testing
  9. 1y agococoonformat_stats gains regression and mixed-model methods
  10. 1y agococoonformat_stats generic supersedes the per-test formatters
  11. 1y agococoonPre-release tag of the 0.1.0 contents

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between cocoon and simDAG?

Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Infra & APIs. simDAG is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is cocoon better than simDAG?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. simDAG is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to cocoon?

Top cocoon alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "cocoon alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/cocoon for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to simDAG?

Top simDAG alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "simDAG alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/simdag for the full list with editorial commentary on each.