Rust Fundamentals

Rust is a compiled, statically typed programming language for software that needs predictable performance and strong safety guarantees. It targets many of the same domains as C and C++, including operating systems, embedded software, command-line tools, network services, and performance-sensitive libraries. Rust also supports application development through an expanding package ecosystem.

Rust's central design connects three systems. The type system describes valid values and operations. The ownership system tracks which binding controls each value and how code may borrow it. The compiler checks both systems before producing machine code. This arrangement prevents many invalid memory accesses and data races in safe Rust without a garbage collector.

From source code to a running program

A Rust project is normally a package managed by Cargo. Its Cargo.toml manifest records package metadata and dependencies. A package contains one or more compilation targets called crates. A binary crate produces an executable, while a library crate exposes reusable code. Source begins at src/main.rs for the default binary or src/lib.rs for the default library.

cargo check parses and type-checks a crate without producing the final executable. cargo build resolves dependencies and asks rustc, the Rust compiler, to produce artifacts. cargo run builds and starts a binary. cargo test builds test targets and runs their tests. cargo doc generates API documentation, including examples written as documentation tests.

Compilation is strict because Rust moves many checks ahead of execution. A rejected program is not necessarily close to failure at runtime. It may instead violate an ownership, lifetime, trait, or type rule that keeps later execution within safe boundaries. Compiler diagnostics identify the conflicting uses and often point toward a valid arrangement.

Rust Fundamentals

Rust Fundamentals

From source code to a running program

Values, bindings, and types

Relevant careers