Write Your First Rust Program

Create a new Cargo project, run Hello World, and learn the basic workflow for building and executing Rust binaries.

A simple Rust project workflow

This tutorial walks you through the smallest useful Rust project: a binary crate managed by Cargo. You will create a new project, inspect Cargo.toml and src/main.rs, run a Hello World program, and build the executable from the command line. The goal is to help you understand the basic files and commands you will use every time you start a new Rust app.

What you will do in this guide

Create a Cargo project

Use Cargo to generate a new binary project in one command. This gives you a ready-made folder structure and the files needed to begin immediately.

Understand the project files

Learn the role of Cargo.toml as the package manifest and src/main.rs as the program entry point. These two files are the core of a basic Rust application.

Run Hello World

Edit main.rs and run the program with Cargo to print a simple message. This confirms that your project is set up correctly and ready to execute.

Build a binary

Compile the project into an executable using Cargo build. You will see how Rust turns your source code into a runnable binary.

Use basic Cargo commands

Practice the everyday workflow with cargo new, cargo run, cargo build, and cargo check. These commands cover the essentials for starting and testing a small Rust program.

Common questions from beginners

What does Cargo do?

Cargo creates projects, manages the package manifest, compiles your code, and runs your binary. It is the standard command-line tool for most Rust workflows.

Which file should I edit first?

Start with src/main.rs. That file contains the entry point for a basic binary program, while Cargo.toml describes the project itself.

How do I run the program?

Use cargo run from the project directory. Cargo will build the project if needed and then execute the resulting binary.

What is out of scope for this tutorial?

This guide stays focused on the first binary project and basic Cargo commands. It does not cover installation, language fundamentals, or advanced package management.

1 commandCreate a new Rust project with Cargo in a single step.

2 filesLearn the purpose of Cargo.toml and src/main.rs.

4 basicsUse cargo new, cargo run, cargo build, and cargo check.

Zero overwhelmFocus on the smallest useful Rust workflow for beginners.