Install Rust on Debian 10 - Step by step guide ?

Rust is a multi-paradigm programming language that was created by Mozilla Research in 2006. While Rust has syntax similar to C++, its developers say that it will help eliminate many of the problems caused by undefined behavior or memory access violations that often arise when using C++. They also claim that Rust improves upon C++'s compile-time safety mechanisms like type checking. 

The core ideas behind Rust are described as follows: safety, speed, control of memory layout, and concurrency. These principles are put into practice through features including the ownership system (which enforces Rust's safety guarantees), type inference, and borrowing.

Here at LinuxAPT, we shall look into how to install Rust on Debian 10.

Main features of Rust includes:

1. The ownership system, which ensures that no data is ever shared between two separate data structures without explicit permission; type inference, which eliminates the need to explicitly declare the types of variables; and borrowed values, which help prevent memory access violations.

The ownership system is one of Rust's most distinctive features. In most programming languages, when you create a new data structure, such as an array or a struct, you are also creating a new variable that can be used to access that data. In Rust, on the other hand, each data structure has a single owner, and that owner is responsible for ensuring that the data is released when it is no longer needed. This eliminates the possibility of memory access violations, which can occur when two separate data structures try to access the same memory location.

2. The type inference system is another key feature of Rust that helps to make code more reliable. In many programming languages, you must explicitly declare the type of every variable. This is not necessary in Rust, as the compiler is able to deduce the types of variables based on their initial values. For example, if a variable x is initially assigned to 3 , then x will have an integer type.

3. In Rust, variables must be initialized before they’re used. This can help prevent errors that involve accessing uninitialized memory or using variables with invalid values.

4. Rust provides control over the memory layout of values. For example, this can be used to ensure that different fundamental types are suitably aligned for efficient access via certain CPU instructions. Memory safety is guaranteed in Rust by enforcing separation between various tasks on the computer’s operating system through managed pointers (which ensures memory is managed correctly) and zero-cost abstractions (which eliminates the need for runtime checks).

5. Rust also supports concurrency, which allows several tasks to run simultaneously. This can improve the performance of a program by taking advantage of multiple cores in a computer’s processor. Concurrency is implemented in Rust using threads and channels.

Steps to Install and use Rust on Debian 10 Buster

1. Perform System Update

To begin, ensure that your system is up to date by running the following apt commands in the terminal:

$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt upgrade

2. Install Rust on the system

Now, Download and run the installation script for Rust http://rustup.rs/ on Debian using the following command:

$ curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh

it will show you 2 installation options. We recommend using the default installation (option 1) because it is faster, easier, and does not give problems.

Once successfully installed, update the cargo and rust profile file. This so you can execute the rust commands from anywhere on the prompt:

$ source $HOME/.cargo/env

You can verify the version of Rust using the following command:

$ rustc – version

3. Create a Rust Project

First, create a folder that will serve as Workspace, in it create another folder where the file in question will be:

$ mkdir ~/projects
$ cd ~/projects
$ mkdir hello_world
$ cd hello_world

Now, create the file:

$ sudo nano hello_world.rs

Paste the following code inside the new file:

fn main() {
println!("Hello, Boss LinuxAPT.com !");
}

Now compile and run the program:

$ rustc hello_world.rs 
$ ./hello_world

You will see the output of your Rust code:

Hello, Boss LinuxAPT.com !

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