tidytlg
A tables-listings-graphs package that reached CRAN and then went quiet.
Comparison · Analytics
datasetjson vs vcr
A side-by-side editorial comparison of datasetjson and vcr — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
datasetjson vs vcr: at a glance
What is datasetjson?
datasetjson rebuilt its object model to track the CDISC Dataset-JSON 1.1 schema.
datasetjson reads and writes CDISC Dataset-JSON, the JSON replacement for SAS transport files in clinical-trial submissions. The package went from a thin reader in 2023 to a redesigned interface in 0.3.0 that targets the 1.1.0 schema, uses yyjsonr as its JSON backend, and exposes column metadata as first-class arguments. Development is contributor-driven inside the Atorus and pharmaverse orbit.
What is vcr?
Added the HTTP client everyone moved to, then deleted a decade of its own public surface.
vcr records HTTP interactions to disk so R package tests can replay them without network access. Two releases define its current state. Version 1.6.0 added httr2 support alongside the existing httr and crul backends, following the R ecosystem's migration to httr2. Version 2.0 then removed a large amount of accumulated public surface — the logging functions, vcr_last_error(), the exported R6 classes including RequestHandler, Request, VcrResponse and HTTPInteractionList, and several configuration options that had stopped working or could not be implemented correctly.
datasetjson vs vcr: editorial side-by-side
datasetjson
0.0ANALYTICS
datasetjson rebuilt its object model to track the CDISC Dataset-JSON 1.1 schema.
◆ Current state
datasetjson reads and writes CDISC Dataset-JSON, the JSON replacement for SAS transport files in clinical-trial submissions. The package went from a thin reader in 2023 to a redesigned interface in 0.3.0 that targets the 1.1.0 schema, uses yyjsonr as its JSON backend, and exposes column metadata as first-class arguments. Development is contributor-driven inside the Atorus and pharmaverse orbit.
◆ Where it's heading
The package's roadmap is not its own — it tracks a CDISC standard that is still moving, and 0.3.0 is what happens when the standard revises: object model, read and write paths, and JSON backend all changed together. Performance was addressed in the same pass, which matters because submission datasets are large enough that a slow serialiser is a real constraint.
◆ Prediction
The next significant release will most likely follow the next Dataset-JSON schema revision rather than an internal roadmap, given that 0.3.0 was driven entirely by the 1.1.0 update.
vcr
0.0ANALYTICS
Added the HTTP client everyone moved to, then deleted a decade of its own public surface.
◆ Current state
vcr records HTTP interactions to disk so R package tests can replay them without network access. Two releases define its current state. Version 1.6.0 added httr2 support alongside the existing httr and crul backends, following the R ecosystem's migration to httr2. Version 2.0 then removed a large amount of accumulated public surface — the logging functions, vcr_last_error(), the exported R6 classes including RequestHandler, Request, VcrResponse and HTTPInteractionList, and several configuration options that had stopped working or could not be implemented correctly.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is consolidating after years of additive growth. The 2.0 removals are almost all things that were exported without needing to be, or options that promised behaviour the implementation could not guarantee — check_cassette_names() was deprecated precisely because it cannot be made correct. Cassette maintenance is being simplified too, with re_record_interval now the single mechanism for expiring recordings.
◆ Prediction
Expect the post-2.0 releases to be about migration support and fallout from the removed API, since the breaking list is long enough that reverse dependencies will surface problems. Async support for httr2 stays blocked until req_perform_parallel gains a mocking hook, which the entries note is upstream work.
Alternatives to datasetjson and vcr
Other Analytics 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 datasetjson or vcr.
Tplyr
Tplyr made clinical summary tables explain where every number came from.
rlistings
Clinical listings that keep inheriting their hardest problem — pagination — from the layer below.
hoardr
A cache-directory helper that has shipped nothing but CRAN-triggered patches for seven years.
gigs
gigs redesigned its whole conversion API for rOpenSci, then spent three releases getting the docs to build.
riem
A weather-data client that keeps rewriting its HTTP layer while slowly tightening its API.
See all datasetjson alternatives → · See all vcr alternatives →
Recent activity from datasetjson and vcr
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 8mo agovcr2.0 removes the logging API and the exported R6 classes ⚡
- 1y agovcrMaintainer email address updated
- 1y agodatasetjsonDataset-JSON 1.1.0 support with a redesigned object model ⚡
- 2y agovcrAdds httr2 support alongside httr and crul ⚡
- 2y agodatasetjsonReads and validates Dataset-JSON from URLs
- 2y agodatasetjsonInitial CRAN release
- 3y agovcrDrops compilation; test setup moves back to helper files
- 3y agovcrFixes request matching with escaped characters
- 5y agovcrvcr_test_path() finds the package root correctly
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between datasetjson and vcr?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. datasetjson and vcr are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 0.0 vs 0.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is datasetjson better than vcr?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. datasetjson and vcr are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 0.0 vs 0.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to datasetjson?
Top datasetjson alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "datasetjson alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/datasetjson for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to vcr?
Top vcr alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "vcr alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/vcr for the full list with editorial commentary on each.