---
type: reference
title: Rust
description: Current best practices for Rust projects - cargo, editions, web frameworks, and tooling.
tags:
  - rust
  - cargo
  - axum
  - bootstrap
  - engineering
timestamp: 2026-08-11
verified: 2026-08-28
---

CUT
# Rust

This page covers current (2025/2026) best practices for Rust projects.

## Bootstrap

Create a binary crate:

```bash
cargo new my-app --bin
```

Create a library crate:

```bash
cargo new my-lib --lib
```

New projects use the Rust 2024 edition by default.

## Tooling

| Category | Tool | Notes |
|----------|------|-------|
| Toolchain | rustup | Install with the rustup script. |
| Formatter | rustfmt | Run `cargo fmt`. |
| Linter | clippy | Run `cargo clippy --all-targets --all-features`. |
| Testing | `cargo test` | Unit tests in `#[cfg(test)]`, integration tests in `tests/`. |
| Async runtime | tokio | The standard choice. |

Use `cargo clippy -- -D warnings` in CI.

## Workspaces

Use a Cargo workspace for projects with multiple crates. Declare members in the root `Cargo.toml`.

```
workspace-root/
├── Cargo.toml
└── crates/
    ├── app/
    └── core/
```

## Web Frameworks

| Framework | Best For | Notes |
|-----------|----------|-------|
| Axum 0.8 | Most Rust web apps | Most popular. Tokio team. |
| actix-web | High-throughput services | Slightly faster in benchmarks. |
| Rocket | Developer experience | Excellent ergonomics. |

Use Axum for new web services.

## Error Handling

Use `thiserror` for library error types. Use `anyhow` for application-level errors. The `?` operator propagates errors.

## Desktop and WASM

* Use Tauri 2 for cross-platform desktop apps with a web frontend.
* Use `wasm-pack` and `wasm-bindgen` for WebAssembly.

## Related Technologies

* serde and serde_json for serialization.
* clap for command-line interfaces.
* tracing and tracing-subscriber for structured logging.
* sqlx for compile-time checked SQL.
* tonic for gRPC.
* criterion for benchmarks.

## Citations

* [The Cargo Book](https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/)
* [Axum](https://docs.rs/axum/)
* [Tauri](https://v2.tauri.app/)

## See Also

* [SDLC and Tooling](../sdlc.md)
* [Go](go.md)