processx

processx is an R package for executing and controlling system processes in the background. It lets you start external programs, read their standard output and error streams, and manage their lifecycle including killing processes when needed.

The package provides non-blocking I/O with efficient polling across single or multiple processes using OS-level facilities. It handles process cleanup automatically through garbage collection, supports callbacks for real-time output processing, and works consistently across Linux, macOS, and Windows. The package is lightweight with minimal dependencies (only R6 and ps packages).