How to Install Rust Programming Language on Linux Mint 20

Rust is an open-source systems programming language that focuses on speed, memory safety, and parallelism. Developers use Rust to create a wide range of new software applications, such as game engines, operating systems, file systems, browser components, and simulation engines for virtual reality. Rust is syntactically similar to C++ but can guarantee memory safety by using a borrow checker for validating references.

For users, especially developers wanting to try out Rust Programming language, you will know how to install Rust Programming Language on Linux Mint 20.

Prerequisites

• Recommended OS: Linux Mint 20 or higher.
• User account: A user account with sudo or root access.

Update Operating System

Update your Linux Mint operating system to make sure all existing packages are up to date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

The tutorial will be using the sudo command and assuming you have sudo status.

To verify sudo status on your account:

sudo whoami

Example output showing sudo status:

[joshua@linuxmint ~]$ sudo whoami
root

To set up an existing or new sudo account, visit our tutorial on Adding a User to Sudoers on Linux Mint.

To use the root account, use the following command with the root password to log in.

su

Install Dependencies

To successfully install and then use Rust on Linux Mint, the required packages are needed.

sudo apt install curl build-essential gcc make -y

Install Rust

Once you have completed the required installation of packages in prerequisites, you now can use (curl) to download the Rust installation script by executing the following command:

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

You should see an output like the example below. Type 1 and press the ENTER KEY to continue.

Example:

If you cannot seem to download and execute the script, the CURL package may be missing.

Use the following command to check and install.

sudo apt install curl -y

The entire installation should take between 1 to 5 minutes, depending on your server’s internet speed and hardware.

Once completed, you will see the following outcome:

Note, you will need to activate the (Rust environment) for your current shell. This is done using the following command to activate the rust environment:

source ~/.profile
source ~/.cargo/env

Verify the version build of Rust installed, which in turn will show you it is successfully installed as well.

rustc -V

Example output:

rustc 1.56.0 (09c42c458 2021-10-18)

Note, if you cannot print out the version build, it means you have not activated the Rust environment shell.

Create Rust Sample Project Application

So you have installed Rust and believe it should be working correctly. When installing a programming language on your operating system, the best way to verify is to create a quick test application. For the guide, you will create the famous (Hello World) output using rust.

First, you need to create a directory that will serve as a (Workspace):

mkdir ~/rust-projects

Secondly, change the directory to the Workspace and create a sample application with the following command:

cd rust-projects && nano helloworld.rs

Next, enter the following code for the hello world test:

fn main() {
    println!("Hello World, this is a test provided by LinuxCapable.com");
}

Save and close CTRL+O and then exit CTRL+X then compile the program with the following command:

rustc helloworld.rs

This will create an executable application after it has finished compiling. The application will be in your current directory as the example output below:

ls

Example output:

To run the application you created using Rust, run the program with the execute command:

./helloworld

Example output from the test application as below:

How to Update Rust

To update Rust is relatively easy and is done with a simple command in your terminal. Type in the following:

rustup update

Example output:

How to Remove (Uninstall) Rust

If in the future you no longer require Rust on your Linux Mint operating system, run the following command:

rustup self uninstall

Example output:

To successfully remove type Y and press the ENTER KEY.

You will then get the following result that Rust has been successfully removed from your system.

Comments and Conclusion

In the tutorial, you have learned how to install Rust programming language on Linux Mint and create a rudimentary test application. Overall, Rust is fantastic, especially in that it guarantees memory safety. You can’t write buffer overflows, dangling pointers, or double-free bugs in Rust which, instead of C/C++, eliminate a whole class of security bugs in your software.