R Shiny is a powerful web framework specifically made for bespoke dashboard development. Compared to more general web programming languages it offers a rapid transition from analytical code to interactive web interfaces, using R as it's backbone. Unlike out-of-the-box dashboarding tools like PowerBI or Tableau it can be easily extended with common web technologies and integrated with more advanced workflows, e.g. data pipelines, DevOps practices or cloud computing like AWS or Azure. R Shiny is open source and promotes reproducibility, reusability and interactivity, as well as avoiding vendor lock-in.

Yes, R Shiny can handle substantial user loads, data sets and processing when correctly configured and deployed, making it suitable for enterprise applications when the right hosting solution is chosen. It is suitable both for internal and public facing enterprise applications, as it can be set up to cater for user authentication, permission management and to support enterprise-level security standards.

There are different options depending on your requirements. Most people start with Shinyapps.io, the cloud publishing platform provided by Posit. More advanced features are available with Posit Connect, Shiny Server or ShinyProxy, which can also address data sovereignty requirements, e.g. when data needs to reside within a country. The Guide also covers best practices such as using renv and Docker for environment consistency, cloud platforms like AWS and Azure for scalability, and options for regular app monitoring.

Speeding up your app can be achieved on multiple levels. Key strategies include profiling your app to identify bottlenecks in the code, streamlining data operations, and using caching to reduce load times. Performance improvements can also be achieved by optimising your hosting environment, e.g. through load-balancing your apps or scaling your server infrastructure.