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What exactly is a Rust "toolchain"?

I've seen rustup be referred to as a "toolchain installer", but it's hard to find an exact definition of what Rust considers a "toolchain" to be and what the scope is for the concept.

I already have the Rust compiler and Cargo installed. What more does rustup bring? Is it just a Rust-version-switcher?

As a .NET-developer, maybe there is there a parallel which makes it easier for me to grasp this concept?

Solution

  • A toolchain is a specific version of the collection of programs needed to compile a Rust application. It includes, but is not limited to:

    • The compiler, rustc
    • The dependency manager and build tool, cargo
    • The documentation generator, rustdoc
    • The static and/or dynamic libraries comprising the standard library for the default platform

    There are additional components that can be installed, such as

    • Documentation
      • The Rust Programming Language
      • The standard library
      • Various books and references
    • The static and/or dynamic libraries comprising the standard library for additional platforms to cross-compile to
    • The source code for the standard library
    • Extra utilities
      • Code formatting via rustfmt
      • Extra lints via clippy
      • Undefined behavior checking via miri
      • Advanced editor support via rust-analyzer or the Rust Language Server

    Rustup provides ways to install, remove, update, select and otherwise manage these toolchains and their associated pieces.

    See also: