Getting Started with Rust: A Comprehensive Guide

Rust has taken the programming world by storm thanks to its unique combination of performance and safety. This beginner-friendly guide gets you started quickly.

1. Installation

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

Verify with rustc --version and cargo --version.

2. Your First Program – Hello, Cargo!

cargo new hello_rust
cd hello_rust
cargo run

3. Core Concepts You Must Understand

• Ownership — every value has a single owner
• Borrowing — references (&) instead of copying
• Lifetimes — prevent dangling references
• Mutability — variables are immutable by default

4. Common First Project Ideas

• CLI todo app
• File reader / word counter
• Simple web server with axum or rocket
• Guessing game (from official book)

Rust rewards patience — the compiler is strict, but it prevents entire classes of bugs.

Start your Rust journey today. Read “The Rust Programming Language” book (free online) and join the Rust Nepal community!