Rustlings vs RustTraining
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Small Rust exercises that teach you to read and write Rust code step by step.
Open source · MIT
Free, open-source Rust learning books for readers coming from other languages or at advanced levels.
The short answer
Choose Rustlings if you need…
- People learning Rust for the first time
- Readers of the official Rust book who want hands-on practice
- Developers who prefer learning by fixing small pieces of code
Choose RustTraining if you need…
- Experienced C, C++, C#, or Python developers learning Rust
- Developers who already know Rust basics and want async or advanced pattern material
- Engineers looking for build, cross-compilation, and CI/CD guidance for Rust projects
- People who prefer reading offline and can build the books locally
Side-by-side
| Rustlings | RustTraining | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Learning resource | Learning resource |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 64.5k | 15k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | See the README | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | Rust | Rust |
| Last code update | 11 days ago | 5 days ago |
What each one is
Rustlings
Rustlings is a set of small practice exercises for the Rust programming language. You work through them one at a time, fixing code so it compiles and runs, which helps you get comfortable reading and writing Rust. The project's README recommends using it alongside the official Rust book.
RustTraining
A collection of seven Rust training books, from beginner bridge courses for people coming from C/C++, C#, or Python to deep dives on async Rust, advanced patterns, type-driven correctness, and engineering practices. Each book has 15–16 chapters with diagrams, editable code playgrounds, exercises, and search, and they are published as a website on GitHub Pages. The material is described as training content, not an official reference.
Best for
Rustlings
- People learning Rust for the first time
- Readers of the official Rust book who want hands-on practice
- Developers who prefer learning by fixing small pieces of code
RustTraining
- Experienced C, C++, C#, or Python developers learning Rust
- Developers who already know Rust basics and want async or advanced pattern material
- Engineers looking for build, cross-compilation, and CI/CD guidance for Rust projects
- People who prefer reading offline and can build the books locally
Strengths
Rustlings
- Free and open source under the MIT license
- Exercises are small and focused, so each one is quick to finish
- Officially hosted under the rust-lang organization with a website for setup and demos
RustTraining
- Covers seven distinct backgrounds and levels, with a clear learning path from bridge to expert
- Includes interactive elements such as editable Rust playgrounds, exercises, and full-text search
- Released under MIT for code and CC-BY-4.0 for docs, so it is free to reuse with attribution
Not ideal for
Rustlings
- Experienced Rust developers looking for production tools, since the README describes it only as a learning aid
- People who want a reference guide rather than guided exercises
RustTraining
- Readers who want an authoritative language reference; the README says to check the official Rust docs and Rust Reference for critical details
- People who need a complete course with guaranteed accuracy, since the README says it strives for accuracy but is not authoritative
- Complete beginners with no programming background, since the bridge books assume experience in another language
Trade-offs
Rustlings
- The README is truncated here, so the exact exercise list and setup details are not confirmed in this entry
- Latest release is listed without binaries, so installation requires a Rust toolchain or following the website instructions
- Works best alongside other learning material rather than on its own
RustTraining
- The README explicitly calls the material non-authoritative and says it should be verified against official docs
- It is built from many inspirations and the README does not detail how each section was reviewed
- Local builds require installing Rust and specific mdbook versions, which adds setup effort
Getting started
Rustlings
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/rust-lang/rustlingsRustTraining
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/RustTraining.gitEnter the project folder
cd RustTrainingFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Rustlings and RustTraining?
Rustlings: Small Rust exercises that teach you to read and write Rust code step by step. RustTraining: Free, open-source Rust learning books for readers coming from other languages or at advanced levels. Rustlings suits people learning rust for the first time, while RustTraining suits experienced c, c++, c#, or python developers learning rust.
Are Rustlings and RustTraining free?
Rustlings: Free and open source. RustTraining: Free and open source.
Is Rustlings or RustTraining more popular?
Rustlings has more GitHub stars (64.5k) than RustTraining (15k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.