Quick Ref: Cargo Commands

Updated Mar 2026

Most-Used Commands

Command Reference

Project Management

Command	Description
cargo new my_app	Create binary project
cargo new my_lib --lib	Create library project
cargo init	Initialize in current directory
cargo init --lib	Initialize library in current directory

Building

Command	Description
cargo build	Debug build (target/debug/)
cargo build --release	Release build (target/release/)
cargo build --target x86_64-unknown-linux-musl	Cross-compile
cargo check	Fast check without generating binary
cargo clean	Remove target/ directory

Running

Command	Description
cargo run	Build and run
cargo run -- arg1 arg2	Run with arguments
cargo run --release	Run optimized build
cargo run --bin my_binary	Run specific binary
cargo run --example basic	Run an example

Testing

Command	Description
cargo test	Run all tests
cargo test test_name	Run matching tests
cargo test --lib	Unit tests only
cargo test --doc	Doc tests only
cargo test --test integration	Specific integration test
cargo test -- --nocapture	Show println output
cargo test -- --test-threads=1	Run serially
cargo test -- --ignored	Run ignored tests

Dependencies

Command	Description
cargo add serde	Add dependency
cargo add serde --features derive	Add with features
cargo add --dev pretty_assertions	Add dev dependency
cargo add --build cc	Add build dependency
cargo remove serde	Remove dependency
cargo update	Update all deps (within semver)
cargo update serde	Update specific dep
cargo tree	Show dependency tree
cargo tree -d	Show duplicate dependencies

Code Quality

Command	Description
cargo clippy	Run linter
cargo clippy -- -D warnings	Lint, treat warnings as errors
cargo clippy --fix	Auto-fix lints
cargo fmt	Format code
cargo fmt --check	Check formatting without changing

Documentation

Command	Description
cargo doc	Generate documentation
cargo doc --open	Generate and open in browser
cargo doc --no-deps	Skip dependency docs

Publishing

Command	Description
cargo login	Authenticate with crates.io
cargo package	Create .crate archive
cargo package --list	List files that will be included
cargo publish	Publish to crates.io
cargo publish --dry-run	Test publish without uploading
cargo yank --version 0.1.0	Yank a published version

Benchmarks

Command	Description
cargo bench	Run benchmarks
cargo bench -- bench_name	Run specific benchmark

Workspace Operations

Command	Description
cargo build --workspace	Build all crates
cargo test --workspace	Test all crates
cargo build -p my_crate	Build specific crate
cargo test -p my_crate	Test specific crate

Essential Plugins

cargo install cargo-watch       # Auto-rebuild
cargo install cargo-expand      # Expand macros
cargo install cargo-bloat       # Binary size analysis
cargo install cargo-outdated    # Find outdated deps
cargo install cargo-audit       # Security audit
cargo install cargo-deny        # License + advisory checks
cargo install cargo-flamegraph  # Profiling
cargo install cargo-tarpaulin   # Code coverage

Plugin Usage

Command	Description
cargo watch -x check	Re-check on save
cargo watch -x 'test -- --nocapture'	Re-test on save
cargo expand	Show expanded macros
cargo bloat --release --crates	Size by crate
cargo outdated	Show outdated deps
cargo audit	Check vulnerabilities
cargo tarpaulin --out html	Code coverage report

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
RUST_LOG=debug	Set log level (with env_logger)
RUST_BACKTRACE=1	Show backtrace on panic
RUST_BACKTRACE=full	Full backtrace with line numbers
CARGO_HOME	Override Cargo home directory
RUSTFLAGS="-D warnings"	Pass flags to rustc