Getting Started with Rust

Introduction

The first chapter of the Rust Programming Language Book provides an overview for beginners, introducing the key features of Rust and guiding them through the setup of their development environment.

Key Concepts

What is Rust?

• Rust is a systems programming language focused on speed, memory safety, and parallelism.
• It is designed to be safe and efficient, making it suitable for a variety of applications, including systems software and web servers.

Why Learn Rust?

• Memory Safety: Rust prevents common programming errors such as null pointer dereferencing and buffer overflows.
• Performance: Rust offers performance on par with C and C++.
• Concurrency: Rust’s ownership model facilitates writing concurrent programs without data races.

Setting Up Rust

Installation

• Install Rust using the official installer called rustup.
• This tool manages Rust versions and associated tools, ensuring you stay updated.

Verifying Installation

• After installation, verify it by running the command:

rustc --version

• This command outputs the installed version of Rust.

Your First Program

Creating a Project

• Use the following command to create a new Rust project:

cargo new hello_cargo

• This creates a new directory named hello_cargo.

Writing Code

• Navigate into the project directory:

cd hello_cargo

• Open the src/main.rs file, which is where you will write your Rust code.

Example Code

• Here’s a simple "Hello, world!" program in Rust:

fn main() {
    println!("Hello, world!");
}

Running the Program

• To run your program, use the command:

cargo run

• This compiles and executes the program, displaying the output.

Conclusion

• This first chapter lays a solid foundation for beginners to start programming in Rust.
• It covers essential topics such as installation, project structure, and writing a simple program, enabling new learners to embark on their Rust journey.

Next Steps

• Continue exploring Rust's features and deepen your understanding by moving on to the subsequent chapters of the book.