rdata

RData is a binary file format used by the R programming language to store one or more R objects in a compact, serialized form. Files with extensions such as .RData, .rda, or sometimes .rdata can contain multiple objects saved from an R session and are designed to preserve the objects’ structure, attributes, and classes.

The primary tools for creating and using RData files are save() and load(). save(object1, object2, file = "mydata.RData") writes the specified objects to the file, optionally with compression (for example, compress = TRUE or a method like "gzip"). load("mydata.RData") restores the objects into the current environment with their original names. The function save.image() saves the entire workspace to a file, effectively snapshotting all objects in memory.

RData differs from readRDS/readRDS in that an RData file can store multiple objects and load them into the workspace with their original names, whereas readRDS/writeRDS handle a single object and require explicit assignment (e.g., myobj <- readRDS("file.rds")).

Because RData is a binary format, it is not intended for human readability or easy interoperability with non-R tools. For cross-language data exchange or single-object storage, other formats such as CSV, feather, or Parquet, or the RDS format, may be preferred.

Compatibility and security notes: RData files are generally stable across minor R version updates, but compatibility is not guaranteed across major versions or platforms. Load RData files only from trusted sources to avoid unexpected objects or memory issues.