How to Install Rust on Ubuntu

Introduction

Rust is a general-purpose programming language for system-level development projects. It is fast, memory efficient, and seamlessly integrates with other languages.

This guide will show you how to install Rust on Ubuntu using an installer script or the APT package manager.

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu installed.
• Command-line access.
• User with sudo privileges.
• curl installed.

Option 1: Install Rust on Ubuntu Using rustup

Use the rustup shell script to install the latest version of Rust. The script allows users to customize their Rust installation by specifying the default host triple, toolchain, and profile.

Follow the steps below to install Rust with rustup.

Step 1: Start rustup

Use the following procedure to download and initiate the rustup script:

1. Enter the curl command below:

curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh

The Rust installer starts.

2. Press Enter to proceed with the default installation.

Wait for the installation to finish. Once Rust is installed, the output confirms the success of the operation.

Step 2: Add Rust to PATH

Run the following source command to add Rust to the system PATH:

source "$HOME/.cargo/env"

The command does not produce an output.

Step 3: Verify Installation

Execute rustc with the -V option to verify the installation:

rustc -V

The output shows the installed Rust version.

Option 2: Install Rust on Ubuntu Using APT

The official Ubuntu repository contains the Rust package, which means Rust can be installed with the APT package manager. Even though it does not offer the latest version, using APT to install Rust is a simple and fast option.

Use the steps below to install Rust via APT.

Step 1: Update Package Registry

Refresh the list of package sources by entering the following:

sudo apt update

This action ensures that APT installs the latest Rust version available in the repositories.

Step 2: Install Rust

After updating the package registry, install Rust by running the following command:

sudo apt install rustc

Enter Y when prompted and wait for the installation to complete.

Step 3: Verify Installation

Confirm the installation using the rustc command:

rustc -V

The output shows the version of Rust installed on the system.

How to Uninstall Rust on Ubuntu

Depending on which method you used to install Rust, use either the rustup or apt command to uninstall it:

• Remove a rustup version from the system by executing:

rustup self uninstall

Enter Y to confirm the action and wait for the removal to finish.

• Uninstall an APT version of Rust by running:

sudo apt remove rustc

Enter Y to confirm. APT removes Rust from the system.

Conclusion

After reading this tutorial, you know how to install Rust on Ubuntu. The article covered the installation methods that involved the APT package manager and the rustup script installer.

Next, check out this list of the best Linux text editors for coding to find a suitable tool for writing Rust code.