Cover of Rust in Action

Rust in Action

by Tim McNamara · first published 2021

41mentions
17recommended by
25HN commenters
2018–2025first – last mentioned

68% recommend24% neutral8% critical

Why HN recommends it

Teaches Rust through systems programming projects, so programmers pick up OS and low-level concepts alongside the language. Offers fuller example programs than the official book; suits experienced coders.

Summarised by Claude from recommending comments

Rust in Action introduces the Rust programming language by exploring numerous systems programming concepts and techniques. You'll be learning Rust by delving into how computers work under the hood. You'll find yourself playing with persistent storage, memory, networking and even tinkering with CPU instructions. The book takes you through using Rust to extend other applications and teaches you tricks to write blindingly fast code. You'll also discover parallel and concurrent programming. Filled to the brim with real-life use cases and scenarios, you'll go beyond the Rust syntax and see what Rus

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Mentions per year

110 2007: 0 mentions2008: 0 mentions2009: 0 mentions2010: 0 mentions2011: 0 mentions2012: 0 mentions2013: 0 mentions2014: 0 mentions2015: 0 mentions2016: 0 mentions2017: 0 mentions2018: 1 mention2019: 2 mentions2020: 2 mentions2021: 8 mentions2022: 11 mentions2023: 3 mentions2024: 2 mentions2025: 2 mentions2026: 0 mentions200720172026

What Hacker News says

  • NoraCodes · Oct 9, 2022 · Recommends

    …the C programming language while gaining an intimate understanding of the Unix operating system I would have loved to take a course like this in college, though I didn't have the chance. I do think [Rust In Action](https://www.manning.com/books/rust-in-action) is a good introduction to some of the same concepts, if anyone is, like me, yearning for grad school while having to hold down a job. While it doesn't use…

    on “CS631 – Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment” ↗
  • pjmlp · Jun 21, 2021 · Recommends

    …compilers with https://www.nand2tetris.org or given the similarities of Rust with ML, maybe dive into Tiger Book (https://www.cs.princeton.edu/~appel/modern/ml). Or maybe https://www.manning.com/books/rust-in-action https://www.apress.com/gp/book/9781484258590 (Rust for IoT)

    on “Ask HN: How to learn proper systems programming?” ↗
  • timClicks · Jan 14, 2018 · Recommends

    Hopefully I am not overstepping bounds by mentioning my book, but I encourage you to take a look at Rust in Action by Manning. It's written for current programmers who want to learn Rust as well as enough of the systems programming concepts that seem to sneak into Rust docs and discussion.

    on “Rust in 2018: easier to use” ↗
  • timClicks · Apr 18, 2020 · Recommends

    I am very curious about what you think about Rust in Action https://www.manning.com/books/rust-in-action?a_aid=rust&a_bi.... It wont describe higher level patterns, but does walk you through dozens of example programs. Projects include: - a CPU emulator -…

    on “Rust Survey 2019 Results” ↗
  • sam_bristow · Jun 21, 2021 · Recommends

    If you're interested in systems programming with rust then i can recommend "Rust in Action" by Tim McNamara [1]. You've found some pretty good resources already by the looks of it though. [1] https://www.manning.com/books/rust-in-action

    on “Ask HN: How to learn proper systems programming?” ↗
  • yarinr · Sep 10, 2021 · Recommends

    Rust in Action teaches Rust through systems programming https://www.manning.com/books/rust-in-action

    on “Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?” ↗
  • AlchemistCamp · Feb 25, 2023 · Recommends

    …kinds of things have you been coding or reading in your Rust learning so far? I'm a pretty big fan of Herbert Wolverson's Pragprog Rust book and open source Roguelike project, as well as Tim McNamara's Rust in Action (which I've only gone through part of due to how each project leaves you wanting to keep building it after the book moves on to another).

    on “Elixir for Humans Who Know Python” ↗
  • timClicks · Feb 12, 2020 · Recommends

    For Rust, try Rust in Action https://www.manning.com/books/rust-in-action. It has several worked examples, including a key/value append-only database, a CPU emulator, an NTP client, a floating point implementation, multiple graphical…

    on “Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?” ↗
  • timClicks · Jan 2, 2021 · Recommends

    There are a few other well regarded resources. Programming Rust from Blandy, Orendorff, and Tindall/O'Reilly is great if you have lots of knowledge in C/C++. Rust in Action from McNamara/Manning is great if you prefer to learn by building projects. Disclaimer: am the author of Rust in Action

    on “A half-hour to learn Rust” ↗
  • Mihalis · Feb 24, 2021 · Recommends

    …channel [0] is a great choise. Then there are two books by Gankra - The Rustonomicon [1] - Learn Rust With Entirely Too Many Linked Lists [2] Also there are three early access books on Manning - Rust in Action [3] - Rust Servers, Services, and Apps [4] - Refactoring to Rust [5] Lastly, if you're into security you may also like Black Hat Rust [6], also early access. [0] https://www.youtube.com/c/JonGjengset/videos…

    on “Ask HN: Resources for Learning Idiomatic Rust?” ↗
  • AlchemistCamp · Apr 18, 2022 · Recommends

    This is interesting to see, having been slowly going through Tim's book Rust in Action when I get the time. I think he did a great job with the book, but I still lean a bit more towards enjoying not just programming but the CS-side of the work. It feels great to make an ergonomic, dev-friendly…

    on “1x Programming” ↗
  • blub · Jul 16, 2021 · Recommends

    …much the same there. I don't like learning programming languages unless I also get something else in return for the time invested. For example I've found an interesting book about systems programming (Rust in Action), so I'll recap my systems programming and also learn some Rust on the side. Pure language books like Programming Rust, even if targeted at C++ programmers and otherwise good do nothing for me. I'd rather…

    on “Thriving in a Crowded and Changing World: C++ 2006–2020 [pdf]” ↗
  • AlchemistCamp · Aug 5, 2019 · Recommends

    I just bought Rust in Action a couple weeks ago (after having gone up to chapter 11 in the No Starch book). It's definitely good to have both. I'll probably do 1/2 the new book, finish the 1st one and then finish the new one. I…

    on “Rust Language Cheat Sheet” ↗
  • steveklabnik · Aug 27, 2020 · Recommends

    …https://doc.rust-lang.org/stable/rust-by-example/ is the "by example" introduction, which is all about sample programs, but feels a bit dated, IMHO. Still not incorrect, but not up-to-date. You may also like the O'Reilly book, or Rust In Action, which use more fully-featured example programs more heavily than The Book does.

    on “Rust 1.46” ↗
  • mplanchard · Feb 14, 2022 · Recommends

    …skim it. There’s probably no better general overview of the language as a whole than the one you find in the book: it gives you what you need to make the most of other resources. I also really liked Rust in Action, and then once you’ve got some experience under your belt, Rust for Rustaceans.

    on “Learning rust with entirely too many linked lists (2019)” ↗

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