Learn Rust Fast: A Beginner’s Guide

Unlock the Power of Rust: A Beginner’s Guide

Rust is a programming language unlike any other. While it may be more challenging to learn than languages like Python or JavaScript, the payoff is well worth the effort. Mastering Rust will not only improve your skills in this language but also enhance your abilities in other programming languages.

Setting Up Your Dev Environment

To get started with Rust, you’ll need to install it on your computer. If you’re using MacOS or Linux, follow these steps:

1. Visit https://sh.rustup.rs to review the bash script you’ll be running on your computer.
2. Open a terminal and run the installation command. Answer “1” to proceed with the default installation.
3. Once the installation is complete, run source $HOME/.cargo/env or start a new terminal to make the rustup command available.
4. Test your installation by running rustup --version.

Understanding the Rust Ecosystem

The default installation includes three essential tools: rustup, cargo, and rustc. rustup is the official tool for installing and managing Rust versions. cargo is the package manager for Rust, similar to npm for JavaScript projects. It’s used to install dependencies, manage builds, and publish projects. rustc is the Rust compiler, which is typically invoked indirectly by cargo commands.

Switching to Nightly Rust

Rust releases new updates every six weeks, which include new language features, syntax, and fixes. If you want to try out the latest features sooner, you can switch to the nightly builds using rustup. This will give you access to the latest updates almost daily.

Building Your First Rust Project

Creating a “Hello, World” example in Rust is incredibly easy thanks to cargo. Start by creating a new project with cargo new hello_rust. This will generate a new project with a main.rs file and a Cargo.toml file, which describes the package and its dependencies.

Adding Dependencies

To add dependencies to your project, simply modify the Cargo.toml file. For example, you can add the csv crate by adding the following line: csv = "1.1.6". Then, you can use the csv crate in your main.rs file.

Local Dependencies

Sometimes, you’ll want to use local crates instead of those from crates.io. To do this, create a new library crate with cargo new --lib hello_print. Then, add the library crate to your hello_rust project by modifying the Cargo.toml file.

Rust in VSCode

The Rust community has developed several extensions and plugins for various editors, but only those for VSCode are officially supported. For syntax highlighting and code completion, you can use Rust Language Service (RLS) or rust-analyzer. Additionally, you can install the Better TOML extension to make working with Cargo.toml more efficient.

Getting Started with Rust

With this guide, you’re ready to start your Rust journey. For a deeper dive into the language, check out the Rust book and Rust by example. Better yet, start writing your own project today!

Debugging Rust Applications with LogRocket

Debugging Rust applications can be challenging, especially when users experience issues that are hard to reproduce. LogRocket provides full visibility into web frontends for Rust apps, allowing you to monitor and track performance, automatically surface errors, and track slow network requests and load time. Try LogRocket today and modernize how you debug your Rust apps!