1. Introduction

Rust is a highly performant and memory-safe programming language that has gained popularity due to its emphasis on performance, type safety, and concurrency. It is a multi-paradigm language that is suitable for a wide range of applications. In this guide, we will walk you through the process of installing Rust on RockyLinux 8.

2. Prerequisites

Before we begin the installation process, make sure you have the following prerequisites:

• A system with RockyLinux 8 installed and running.
• At least 2GB of RAM.
• Root access to the system.

3. Updating the System

Before installing Rust, it’s important to ensure that your system is up-to-date. To do this, open the terminal and run the following command:

dnf check-update
dnf update -y

This will update your system with the latest packages and dependencies.

4. Installing the EPEL Repository

Next, we need to install the Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux (EPEL) repository. This repository contains additional software packages that are not included in the default RockyLinux repositories. Run the following command to install the EPEL repository:

dnf install epel-release -y

5. Installing Rust

Now, let’s proceed with the installation of Rust using the rustup command-line tool. Follow the steps below:

1. Run the following command to install curl and download the rustup command:

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

2. This will download and install the official Rust compiler and its package manager, Cargo. The installation files will be stored in the Rustup home directory, located at /root/.rustup.
3. To add the Rust toolchain directory to the PATH environment variable, run the following command:

source "$HOME/.cargo/env"

6. Verifying the Installation

After installing Rust, it’s important to verify that the installation was successful. Open the terminal and run the following command:

rustc --version

If Rust is installed correctly, you should see the version number displayed, indicating that the installation was successful.

7. Compiling and Running a Test Program

To ensure that Rust is functioning properly, let’s create a simple test program, compile it, and run it. Follow the steps below:

1. Create a directory to store the test script by running the following command:

mkdir ~/rustprojects
cd ~/rustprojects
mkdir testdir
cd testdir

2. Use a text editor to create a new file called test.rs inside the testdir directory:

nano test.rs

3. In the test.rs file, add the following code:

fnmain(){
    println!("Congratulations! You have installed Rust and it works.");
}

4. Save the file and exit the text editor.
5. Compile the code using the rustc command:

rustc test.rs

6. Finally, run the compiled program by executing the following command:

./test

If everything is set up correctly, you should see the message “Congratulations! You have installed Rust and it works.” displayed in the terminal.

8. Updating Rust

To keep your Rust installation up-to-date with the latest features and bug fixes, it’s important to regularly update it. Run the following command to update Rust:

rustup update

This will sync the latest updates from the stable channel and apply them to your Rust installation.

9. Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Rust on RockyLinux 8. You can now start developing your own projects using this powerful and memory-safe programming language. Rust’s emphasis on performance, type safety, and concurrency makes it an excellent choice for a wide range of applications.

Remember to regularly update your Rust installation to stay up-to-date with the latest features and improvements. Happy coding!

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Christian Wells