How to create a Rust project with Cargo

A new Rust project needs more than an empty directory because Cargo creates the manifest, source tree, and target type that the compiler expects before the first build. Starting with Cargo keeps the project layout compatible with the rest of the Rust toolchain from the first run.

cargo new creates a package in a new directory. The binary target is the default, but using --bin keeps the generated layout explicit, and --vcs none leaves version control setup to the surrounding repository or a later git step.

After the package exists, cargo run builds and executes the generated src/main.rs file, while cargo test confirms the default test harness can compile the project. For a library crate, replace --bin with --lib and use cargo test as the first proof instead of a binary run.

1. Create a binary package without initializing version control.

   $ cargo new hello-rust --bin --vcs none
       Creating binary (application) `hello-rust` package
   note: see more `Cargo.toml` keys and their definitions at https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html

   Omit --vcs none when Cargo should create a Git repository for the new package.

2. Enter the project directory.

   $ cd hello-rust

3. Inspect the generated manifest.

   $ cat Cargo.toml
   [package]
   name = "hello-rust"
   version = "0.1.0"
   edition = "2024"
   
   [dependencies]

   The edition value comes from the current Cargo default. Use --edition only when the project must target an older Rust edition.

4. Inspect the generated binary entry point.

   $ cat src/main.rs
   fn main() {
       println!("Hello, world!");
   }

5. Run the generated binary.

   $ cargo run
      Compiling hello-rust v0.1.0 (/work/hello-rust)
       Finished `dev` profile [unoptimized + debuginfo] target(s) in 0.61s
        Running `target/debug/hello-rust`
   Hello, world!

   Cargo shows the local project path in the compile line; the path will match the directory where the package was created.

6. Run the default test harness.

   $ cargo test
      Compiling hello-rust v0.1.0 (/work/hello-rust)
       Finished `test` profile [unoptimized + debuginfo] target(s) in 0.39s
        Running unittests src/main.rs (target/debug/deps/hello_rust-d6307a738c252336)
   
   running 0 tests
   
   test result: ok. 0 passed; 0 failed; 0 ignored; 0 measured; 0 filtered out; finished in 0.00s

   A new binary package starts with zero tests; ok confirms the generated target compiles under the test profile.
   Related: How to run Rust tests with Cargo