rust-project-setup

Run cargo init for binaries or cargo init --lib for libraries, then configure Cargo.toml with edition 2024, a rust-version MSRV, clippy lints, and release profiles. Add rustfmt.toml, set up a GitHub Actions CI workflow, and follow the lockfile policy for your crate type.

Commit Cargo.lock for binaries and applications to ensure reproducible builds. Do not commit it for libraries, since consumers resolve their own dependency versions; add Cargo.lock to .gitignore for library crates.

Edition 2024 makes unsafe_op_in_unsafe_fn deny-by-default, requires unsafe extern blocks, reserves the gen keyword, changes impl Trait lifetime capture, and adjusts temporary drop scopes. Run cargo fix --edition to auto-migrate most mechanical changes.

Use dtolnay/rust-toolchain to install the toolchain and Swatinem/rust-cache for caching, then add jobs for cargo check, clippy with -D warnings, cargo test, and cargo fmt --check. Include an MSRV job matching the rust-version declared in Cargo.toml.

Use a workspace when you have multiple related crates that share dependencies, need coordinated versioning, or have separate build targets like a binary plus library. Workspaces reduce compile times by sharing dependencies and build artifacts across members.

Add #![no_std] to switch the prelude to core, use an additive std feature flag rather than a subtractive no-std feature, and optionally extern crate alloc for heap types. Verify compatibility by building against a bare-metal target like thumbv7m-none-eabi in CI.