001 - Learning Rust as a Pythonista: How to Create and Run a Rust File

How to Create and Run a Rust File

If you’re coming from Python, you’re probably used to running .py files directly with the Python interpreter. In Rust, the process involves compiling your code first before running it. Let’s walk through how to create a simple Rust file and run it.

Step 1: Install Rust

Before we begin, you’ll need to install Rust if you haven’t already. You can do this using the following command:

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

This will install rustup, Rust’s toolchain manager. After installation, make sure rustc (the Rust compiler) and cargo (Rust’s build system) are properly installed by running:

rustc --version
cargo --version

Step 2: Create a New Rust File

In Rust, the source files usually end with the .rs extension. Let’s create a new file called main.rs:

touch main.rs

Now open the file in your favorite editor and add the following code:

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

This is a simple Rust program that prints "Hello, Rust!" to the console. It’s equivalent to the classic “Hello, World!” example.

Step 3: Compile and Run the Rust Program

Unlike Python, which runs scripts directly, Rust code must be compiled before execution. To compile the program, run the following command:

rustc main.rs

This will create an executable file (for example, main on Unix-based systems or main.exe on Windows). To run the program, execute the following:

./main   # On Unix-based systems (Linux/macOS)
main.exe # On Windows

You should see the output:

Hello, Rust!

Using `cargo` for Larger Projects

For more complex projects, Rust developers typically use cargo, Rust’s package manager and build system. It simplifies compiling and running Rust projects. To create a new project with cargo, use:

cargo new my_project
cd my_project
cargo run

This sets up a basic project structure and runs the program for you, making it easier to manage larger Rust codebases.

Now that you know how to create and run a simple Rust program, you’re ready to start experimenting with Rust code. In the next sections, we’ll dive deeper into Rust’s unique features, starting with Basic Syntax and Structuring.

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