bash
rustup --versionNotes
Confirms rustup is installed and shows its current version.
Rust CLI Cheat Sheet
Core rustup and Cargo commands for creating, building, running, and inspecting Rust CLI projects.
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Bootstrap and versions
Install, inspect, and verify the Rust toolchain.
bash
rustc --versionNotes
Shows which `rustc` is currently active in your shell.
bash
cargo --versionNotes
Useful for debugging toolchain mismatches and environment issues.
bash
rustup updateNotes
Updates channels like stable, beta, and nightly when installed.
bash
rustup default stableNotes
Sets the default toolchain used outside directories with overrides.
Run Cargo with a specific toolchain
Use toolchain shorthand for one command.
bashANYcargorustuptoolchain
bash
cargo +nightly --versionNotes
Cargo supports `+toolchain` shorthand when installed via rustup.
Create projects
Create new Rust binary and library packages.
bash
cargo new hello-cliNotes
`cargo new` creates a new package with a manifest and starter source.
bash
cargo new mylib --libNotes
Use `--lib` when the package is meant to be a library crate.
Initialize Cargo in an existing directory
Create a manifest in the current project folder.
bashANYcargoinit
bash
cargo initNotes
Useful when you already created the folder or are converting existing code.
bash
cargo init --libNotes
Creates `Cargo.toml` and a `src/lib.rs` starter file.
Locate the manifest
Print the path to the Cargo.toml file Cargo will use.
bashANYcargomanifestproject
bash
cargo locate-projectNotes
Helpful when working in nested directories or workspaces.
bash
cargo metadata --format-version 1Notes
Frequently used by tooling and scripts to inspect crates and workspaces.
Help and discovery
Explore Cargo commands and built-in help.
bash
cargo helpNotes
Lists commands and global options.
bash
cargo help buildNotes
Equivalent to the command-specific manual page for build.
bash
which cargoNotes
Useful when multiple toolchain installs exist on the machine.
Show active rustup state
Display installed toolchains, defaults, and active host.
bashANYrustuptoolchainsshow
bash
rustup showNotes
Shows the active toolchain and installed targets/components.
Manifest basics
Common `Cargo.toml` structures for CLI apps.
toml
[package]
name = "hello-cli"
version = "0.1.0"
edition = "2021"Notes
`Cargo.toml` is the package manifest written in TOML.
toml
[dependencies]
clap = { version = "4", features = ["derive"] }
anyhow = "1"Notes
Dependencies are normally declared in the `[dependencies]` table.
toml
[[bin]]
name = "admin-tool"
path = "src/bin/admin-tool.rs"Notes
Binary packages can expose additional executables with `[[bin]]` targets.
toml
[package]
rust-version = "1.75"Notes
The manifest supports declaring a minimum supported Rust version.
More in Rust CLI
Rust CLI Troubleshooting: CI, Environment, Build Scripts, and Publishing
Commands for debugging CI failures, environment mismatches, build script output, installation problems, and publish checks in Rust CLI projects.
Rust CLI Troubleshooting: rustup, Toolchains, Components, and Targets
Commands for fixing toolchain mismatches, missing components, and cross-compilation target issues in Rust CLI projects.
Rust CLI Troubleshooting: Tests, Doctests, and Documentation
Commands for debugging failing tests, capturing output, isolating flaky cases, and fixing documentation-generation issues in Rust CLI projects.
Rust CLI Troubleshooting: Dependencies, Features, and Lockfiles
Commands for analyzing dependency trees, feature activation, duplicate crates, and lockfile behavior in Rust CLI projects.
Rust CLI Troubleshooting: Manifest, Packages, and Workspaces
Commands and examples for debugging Cargo.toml issues, package selection mistakes, and workspace confusion in Rust CLI repos.
Rust CLI Troubleshooting: Build Errors and Diagnostics
Commands for investigating compiler errors, Cargo diagnostics, verbose output, and fix suggestions in Rust CLI projects.