Rust: The Language's Compiler and Standard Library
/rust
Rust programming language's compiler and standard library live in rust-lang/rust, not a package you install to start writing Rust code. Clone this repo if you want to work on rustc itself, add to the standard library, or read how the compiler's internals fit together through the rustc-dev-guide. Skip it if you just want to write Rust programs: rustup and cargo, installed the normal way, are what you actually need.
Understanding the Rust Project
Rust programming language is a systems programming language whose compiler, standard library, and documentation source all live together in the rust-lang/rust repository, per its README. GitHub tags the repo compiler, language, and rust, and the README pitches Rust around performance, memory safety and thread safety from its type system and ownership model, plus tooling like Cargo, rustfmt, Clippy, and rust-analyzer.
Core Strengths of Rust
- โOwnership model and type system aimed at memory safety and safe concurrent programming, catching thread-safety bugs at compile time, per the README's reliability pitch.
- โPerformance the README calls fast and memory-efficient, positioned for critical services and embedded devices, and easy to call from other languages.
- โCargo ships as the project's own package manager and build tool.
- โrustfmt is the bundled auto-formatter.
- โClippy is the linter listed alongside Cargo and rustfmt.
- โrust-analyzer supplies editor support, rounding out the toolchain the README describes.
- โA compiler the README says is committed to giving useful diagnostics, backed by what it calls comprehensive documentation.
- โThe repository itself bundles compiler, standard library, and documentation source together, per the README's opening description, aimed at developer productivity.
Getting Started with Rust
The README's Quick Start doesn't list shell commands here; it points to the Installation chapter of The Book for the setup most Rust developers should use. Building rustc from this repository's own source is possible too, documented in INSTALL.md, but the README itself says that route 'is not recommended.' For setup questions, Getting Help links to rust-lang.org/community for the project's chat platforms and forums.
Strengths
- โOne repository bundles the compiler, standard library, and documentation source, per the README, instead of scattering them across separate projects.
- โThe type system and ownership model are aimed specifically at memory safety and thread safety, catching bugs at compile time rather than at runtime.
- โA documented toolchain: Cargo, rustfmt, Clippy, and rust-analyzer are each named for what they do.
- โCompiler diagnostics quality is called out as a stated goal, not an afterthought.
- โA dual MIT/Apache-2.0 license, with some portions under other BSD-like licenses, gives downstream users license flexibility.
- โReal entry points for help: rust-lang.org/community for chat and forums, plus a dedicated rustc-dev-guide for compiler internals.
Considerations Before Adopting Rust
- โณThis README doesn't give install or build commands directly; it defers to The Book's Installation page and a separate INSTALL.md, and even flags building from source as not recommended.
- โณThis repo isn't something a typical Rust application developer installs. Day-to-day app development happens through rustup and cargo, not a clone of rust-lang/rust.
- โณLicensing is split: dual MIT/Apache-2.0 for the project generally, with some portions under unspecified 'various BSD-like licenses,' per the README, so check LICENSE-APACHE, LICENSE-MIT, and COPYRIGHT individually rather than assume one license covers everything.
- โณUsing the Rust or Cargo names or logos requires reading a separate trademark policy from the Rust Foundation; the terms aren't summarized in this README.
- โณThe Contributing section here is thin. It defers entirely to CONTRIBUTING.md and the rustc-dev-guide for the actual process, so this file alone doesn't tell you what a first contribution looks like.
Other Systems Programming Languages
Common Questions About Rust
Rust's source in this repository is distributed under both the MIT license and the Apache License 2.0, with some portions covered by other BSD-like licenses, per the README. Check LICENSE-APACHE, LICENSE-MIT, and COPYRIGHT for specifics; GitHub's repo metadata lists Apache-2.0 as the detected license.
The README's Getting Help section links to rust-lang.org/community, which lists the chat platforms and forums the Rust project uses for support and discussion.
The Rust README directs contributors to CONTRIBUTING.md regarding the general process, and also to the distinct rustc-dev-guide, which provides an extensive account of the compiler's architecture and where to commence work.
The rust-lang/rust repository holds the compiler, the standard library, and the project's documentation, according to its own README. It's the main source code repository for Rust.
Rust's README sends readers to the Installation chapter of The Book for the standard setup, and separately notes that installing from source via INSTALL.md exists but 'is not recommended.'
The Rust Foundation holds and enforces the trademarks and logos for both Rust and Cargo, per the README, which directs anyone wanting to use those names or brands to a separate trademark policy for the specifics.
The problem it solves
Someone who wants to fix a compiler diagnostic, add a standard library method, or trace how rustc turns source into machine code needs one place that holds the compiler, the standard library, and the language's own documentation together, since these pieces depend on each other during every build. rust-lang/rust is that one repository, and its README points contributors to a separate rustc-dev-guide for how the compiler's internals actually fit together.
Best use cases
- โขCompiler contributors fixing a rustc bug or adding a diagnostic, starting from the rustc-dev-guide the README links to.
- โขStandard library contributors adding or refining APIs that ship with every Rust install.
- โขDevelopers curious how Cargo, rustfmt, Clippy, and rust-analyzer relate to the compiler that builds them.
- โขDocumentation contributors improving the language docs that live in this same repository, per the README.
How to use
Working in rust-lang/rust mostly means contributing to the compiler or standard library, not running the repo as an end user. The README sends contributors to CONTRIBUTING.md for the project's process, and to the separate rustc-dev-guide for a detailed explanation of the compiler's architecture and where to start. Day-to-day build and test commands for rustc itself aren't spelled out in this README; they live in that dev guide.
Who should try it โ and who should skip
Try cloning rust-lang/rust if you want to fix a compiler bug, extend the standard library, or read rustc's internals through the dev guide, the kind of work the README's Contributing section is written for. Skip it if you just want to write Rust code. rustup and cargo, not a clone of this repository, are the tools you actually need, and the README's own Quick Start points regular users to The Book's Installation page instead.
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