diff --git a/smartgears/r_connector/defaults/main.yml b/smartgears/r_connector/defaults/main.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..51e5d7ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/smartgears/r_connector/defaults/main.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+---
+gcube_repository: 'gcube-staging'
+r_connector_install: False
+r_connector_ver: 2.0.1-4.0.0-128766
+r_connector_name: r-connector
+r_connector_filename: '{{ r_connector_name }}-{{ r_connector_ver }}.war'
+r_connector_url: 'http://maven.research-infrastructures.eu/nexus/content/repositories/{{ gcube_repository }}/org/gcube/data/analysis/{{ r_connector_name }}/{{ r_connector_ver}}/{{ r_connector_filename }}'
+r_connector_war_file: '{{ r_connector_name }}.war'
+r_connector_usershome: /home/
+r_connector_userconfig: userconfig.csv
+r_connector_adduserscript: /usr/local/bin/rusersadd
+r_connector_rstudio_cookie_key: /var/lib/rstudio-server/secure-cookie-key
diff --git a/smartgears/r_connector/tasks/main.yml b/smartgears/r_connector/tasks/main.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..438336d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/smartgears/r_connector/tasks/main.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+---
+- block:
+
+    - name: Remove the installed R connector before upgrading
+      file: dest={{ item }} state=absent
+      with_items:
+        - '{{ smartgears_instance_path }}/webapps/r-connector'
+        - '{{ smartgears_instance_path }}/webapps/r-connector.war'
+      when: smartgears_upgrade or not r_connector_install
+
+    - name: Get the R connector war file
+      get_url: url={{ ckan_connector_url }} dest={{ smartgears_instance_path }}/webapps/{{ ckan_connector_war_file }}
+      
+    - name: Unpack the R connector war file
+      shell: mkdir {{ smartgears_instance_path }}/webapps/r-connector ; cd {{ smartgears_instance_path }}/webapps/r-connector ; jar xf {{ smartgears_instance_path }}/webapps/{{ ckan_connector_war_file }}
+      args:
+        creates: '{{ smartgears_instance_path }}/webapps/r-connector/WEB-INF/web.xml'
+
+    - name: Obtain the permission to read the Rstudio secure cookie key
+      file: dest={{ r_connector_rstudio_cookie_key }} mode=640 group={{ smartgears_user }}
+
+    - name: Install the R connector web.xml template
+      template: src=r-web.xml.j2 dest={{ smartgears_instance_path }}/webapps/r-connector/WEB-INF/web.xml mode=0440
+      notify: Restart smartgears 
+
+  become: True
+  become_user: '{{ smartgears_user }}'
+  when: r_connector_install
+  tags: [ 'smartgears', 'r_connector', 'tomcat' ]
diff --git a/smartgears/r_connector/templates/r-web.xml.j2 b/smartgears/r_connector/templates/r-web.xml.j2
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..93d69ca6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/smartgears/r_connector/templates/r-web.xml.j2
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+<web-app>
+	<context-param>
+		<param-name>usersHome</param-name>
+		<param-value>{{ r_connector_usershome }}</param-value>
+	</context-param>
+	<context-param>
+		<param-name>filename</param-name>
+		<param-value>{{ r_connector_userconfig }}</param-value>
+	</context-param>
+	<context-param>
+		<param-name>addUserScript</param-name>
+		<param-value>{{ r_connector_adduserscript }}</param-value>
+	</context-param>
+	<context-param>
+		<param-name>storedKeyPath</param-name>
+		<param-value>{{ r_connector_rstudio_cookie_key }}</param-value>
+	</context-param>
+	<context-param>
+		<param-name>rStudioAddress</param-name>
+		<param-value>{{ ansible_fqdn }}</param-value>
+	</context-param>
+	<servlet>
+    	<servlet-name>org.gcube.data.analysis.rconnector.RConnector</servlet-name>
+    </servlet>
+    <servlet-mapping>
+        <servlet-name>org.gcube.data.analysis.rconnector.RConnector</servlet-name>
+        <url-pattern>/gcube/service/*</url-pattern>
+    </servlet-mapping>
+</web-app>
diff --git a/smartgears/r_connector/templates/rusersadd.j2 b/smartgears/r_connector/templates/rusersadd.j2
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..9a65de89
--- /dev/null
+++ b/smartgears/r_connector/templates/rusersadd.j2
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+USER="$1"
+HDIR="{{ r_connector_usershome }}/$USER" 
+
+if [ -d $HDIR ] ; then
+   #echo "user dir exist"
+   exit 0
+else 
+   if id -u $USER >/dev/null 2>&1
+   then
+      #"echo "ldap user first login"
+      /bin/su - $USER
+      exit 0
+   else
+      #echo "user does not exist and is not ldap"
+      /usr/sbin/useradd -m -s /bin/false $USER
+   fi
+fi
diff --git a/smartgears/smartgears-nginx-frontend/templates/rstudio-dev.d4science.org-virtualhost.j2 b/smartgears/smartgears-nginx-frontend/templates/rstudio-dev.d4science.org-virtualhost.j2
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3e7b1442
--- /dev/null
+++ b/smartgears/smartgears-nginx-frontend/templates/rstudio-dev.d4science.org-virtualhost.j2
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+server {
+    listen   {{ http_port }};
+    server_name {{ ansible_fqdn }};
+
+    access_log /var/log/nginx/access.log;
+    error_log /var/log/nginx/error.log;
+
+    proxy_read_timeout 600;
+    proxy_set_header  X-Real-IP  $remote_addr;
+    proxy_set_header  X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
+    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $schema;
+    proxy_set_header Host $http_host;
+    proxy_redirect off;
+
+{% for instance in tomcat_m_instances %}
+{% for context in instance.app_contexts %}
+    location /{{ context }} {
+        proxy_pass http://localhost:{{ item.http_port }}/{{ context }};
+    }
+{% endfor %}
+{% endfor %}
+    location / {
+        proxy_pass http://localhost:{{ rstudio_http_port }}/;
+    }
+
+}
+
diff --git a/smartgears/smartgears-nginx-frontend/templates/rstudio.d4science.org-virtualhost.j2 b/smartgears/smartgears-nginx-frontend/templates/rstudio.d4science.org-virtualhost.j2
new file mode 120000
index 00000000..4ebf333a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/smartgears/smartgears-nginx-frontend/templates/rstudio.d4science.org-virtualhost.j2
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+rstudio-dev.d4science.org-virtualhost.j2
\ No newline at end of file