Using Cargo to build and run an application

As we are all able to create directory structures, Cargo is then able to build and execute our source code.

If you look at the source code that comes with this chapter, you will find a directory called app_name. To build this package using Cargo, type the following from a Terminal (or command on Windows) window:

cd app_name 
cargo build app_name  

This will build the source code; finally you will be informed that the compilation has been successful:

Next, we can use Cargo to execute the binary as follows:

cargo run

If everything has worked, you will see something like the following:

As with any sort of utility, it's possible to "daisy-chain" the build and execution into one line, as follows:

cargo build; cargo run  

You may be wondering why the first operation performed was to move into the application structure rather than just type cargo build. This is because Cargo is looking for the Cargo.toml file (remember, this acts as a build script).