Software⏱️ 4 min read📅 2026-06-15

How to Fix: error: zlib library and headers are required R on HPC

Error fixing zlib library and headers required for R on Red Hat HPC

Quick Answer: Check if the installed zlib version is compatible with R, consider reinstalling or updating the zlib package

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 🔍 Why This Happens
  2. 🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes
  3. 💡 Conclusion

The error 'zlib library and headers are required' occurs when R is unable to find the zlib library and headers, which are necessary for its compilation process. This issue affects users who have installed R base 3.4.0 on Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server release 6.5 (Santiago) and have also installed zlib 1.2.11 in their home folder.

This error can be frustrating because it prevents the user from successfully compiling R, which is essential for data analysis and other tasks. In this troubleshooting guide, we will explore the root causes of this issue and provide step-by-step solutions to resolve it.

🔍 Why This Happens

  • The primary reason why this error happens is that the zlib library and headers are not installed in the system's default locations. Although the user has installed zlib 1.2.11 in their home folder, it may not be recognized by R due to its installation location.
  • Another possible cause could be that the zlib version installed is older than the required version (1.2.6). However, since the user has installed zlib 1.2.11, which is newer than the required version, this alternative reason is unlikely.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes

Installing zlib library and headers in system's default locations

  1. Step 1: To fix this issue, navigate to the /usr/lib64 directory (or /lib64 on older systems) and install the zlib library using the following command: sudo yum install zlib-devel. This will ensure that the zlib library is installed in the system's default locations.
  2. Step 2: Next, update the R configuration file (/etc/R/etc/Makefile) to include the correct path to the zlib library by adding the following line at the end of the file: -lzlib
  3. Step 3: After updating the configuration file, run the command: sudo make clean; sudo make -j4 install. This will compile R with the updated configuration.

Compiling R with custom zlib library and headers

  1. Step 1: If installing the zlib library in system's default locations is not feasible, an alternative solution is to compile R with a custom zlib library and headers. This can be done by downloading the zlib source code from the official website and compiling it manually.
  2. Step 2: To do this, download the zlib source code using wget or curl: wget https://www.zlib.org/zip.zip && unzip zip.zip -d /usr/local/lib64 (or /usr/local/lib on older systems).

💡 Conclusion

In conclusion, the error 'zlib library and headers are required' can be resolved by installing the zlib library and headers in system's default locations or compiling R with a custom zlib library and headers. By following these steps, users should be able to successfully compile R and resolve this issue.

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