Setting up a Java project used to mean downloading a JDK, setting JAVA_HOME, maybe fighting with your IDE, and picking a build tool. Rust makes this refreshingly simple.

One command to rule them all

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

That’s it. This installs rustup — Rust’s toolchain manager. Think of it as the equivalent of SDKMAN for Java, except it’s the official way to install Rust and everyone uses it.

What gets installed

After running the above, you get three tools:

• rustc — the Rust compiler (you’ll rarely use this directly)
• cargo — the build tool, package manager, test runner (you’ll use this constantly)
• rustup — manages Rust versions and components

Verify it worked

rustc --version
cargo --version

You should see something like rustc 1.78.0 and cargo 1.78.0.

Updating Rust

This is where rustup shines. Upgrading is one command:

rustup update

No downloading a new JDK zip. No updating JAVA_HOME. No drama.

IDE support

Install the rust-analyzer extension in VS Code or IntelliJ IDEA (via the Rust plugin). It gives you autocomplete, inline errors, and type hints — everything you’re used to in Java.