Cargo

Definition

Cargo is the official build system and package manager for Rust projects. It automates and streamlines key aspects of Rust development, including:

• Dependency Management: Cargo handles downloading and building the external libraries (called crates) your project depends on, making it easy to add, update, or remove dependencies through the Cargo.toml configuration file[1][2][3][4][6].
• Building and Compilation: With simple commands like cargo build, Cargo compiles your code and its dependencies, placing build artifacts in a dedicated target directory. It supports both development and optimized release builds (e.g., cargo build --release)[1][3][4].
• Project Initialization and Structure: Cargo can generate a new project with a standardized directory structure using cargo new, placing source code in src/ and configuration in Cargo.toml, which helps maintain consistency and makes collaboration easier[4][6].
• Testing and Running: Cargo integrates with Rust’s testing framework, allowing you to run tests (cargo test) and execute your application (cargo run) with simple commands[4].
• Packaging and Distribution: Cargo can package your project for distribution and upload it to crates.io, the Rust package registry, making it straightforward to share your code with the community[2][4].
• Cross-Platform Consistency: Cargo commands work the same way across all major operating systems, simplifying development workflows and onboarding[3].

In summary, Cargo is an essential tool for Rust developers, providing a unified interface for managing dependencies, building, testing, and distributing Rust projects, all while enforcing conventions that keep projects organized and maintainable[1][2][3][4][6].

Sources

[1] Hello, Cargo! - The Rust Programming Language https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch01-03-hello-cargo.html [2] Introduction - The Cargo Book - Rust Documentation https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/ [3] Hello, Cargo! - The Rust Programming Language - MIT https://web.mit.edu/rust-lang_v1.26.0/arch/amd64_ubuntu1404/share/doc/rust/html/book/second-edition/ch01-03-hello-cargo.html [4] Mastering Cargo: A Comprehensive Guide to Harnessing the Power … https://dev.to/anshu21/mastering-cargo-a-comprehensive-guide-to-harnessing-the-power-of-rusts-package-manager-185i [5] Cargo-auto : automation tasks written in Rust language for the build … https://www.reddit.com/r/rust/comments/p495fa/cargoauto_automation_tasks_written_in_rust/ [6] Exploring the Power of Cargo and Rust Programming Language https://glasp.co/hatch/5F9hwmMiL3MYYFLinDCS6m06siF2/p/QAgNiZMJmj7UUuzrnMAq [7] This Development-cycle in Cargo: 1.84 | Inside Rust Blog https://blog.rust-lang.org/inside-rust/2024/12/13/this-development-cycle-in-cargo-1.84.html [8] This Development-cycle in Cargo: 1.81 | Inside Rust Blog https://blog.rust-lang.org/inside-rust/2024/08/15/this-development-cycle-in-cargo-1.81.html

Commands

• We can create a project using cargo new.
• We can build a project using cargo build.
• We can build and run a project in one step using cargo run.
• We can build a project without producing a binary to check for errors using cargo check.
• cargo update updates the crates specified in the Cargo.lock file