CARGO-RUSTDOC(1)

📦 version 1.83.0, in ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble

🎀 cargo-rustdoc(1) 🎀

okay bestie, sit down, hydrate, and let's talk about cargo rustdoc because this one is genuinely so good 💖

✨ NAME ✨

cargo-rustdoc — build a package's documentation, but with your custom flags, because you're the main character 💅

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

cargo rustdoc [options] [-- args]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So here's the vibe: whatever target you've got in the current package (or the package you named with -p if you did that) is gonna get documented, and the args you hand over get passed straight into the final rustdoc invocation. That's the whole point of this command — you get to sneak extra flags in there. ✨

Dependencies are not documented as part of this command. Not them. Not today. 🙅

Also, important: rustdoc will still unconditionally receive arguments such as -L, --extern, and --crate-type, no matter what. Your specified args just get added on top of the rustdoc invocation. Like sprinkles on an already-iced cake 🍓

For the full rundown on rustdoc flags, see the documentation at https://doc.rust-lang.org/rustdoc/index.html.

Here's the catch though, and it's lowkey the most important thing on this page: this command requires that only one target is being compiled when additional arguments are provided. If more than one target is available for the current package, you must use the filters like --lib, --bin, etc, to pick which target is being compiled. No vibe-checking your way out of that one. 💀

And if you want to pass flags to all rustdoc processes spawned by Cargo (not just this one), use the RUSTDOCFLAGS environment variable (https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/environment-variables.html) or the build.rustdocflags config value (https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/config.html). Those are the group-chat-wide settings, iykyk.

👑 OPTIONS 👑

📖 Documentation Options

  • --open — Open the docs in a browser after building them. It'll use your default browser unless you define another one in the BROWSER environment variable, or you use the doc.browser configuration option (https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/config.html#docbrowser). Obsessed with a one-flag browser pop, honestly. 🫶

📦 Package Selection

By default, the package in the current working directory is the one that gets selected. If you want a different package in a workspace, that's what the -p flag is for.

  • -p spec, --package spec — The package to document. See cargo-pkgid(1) for the SPEC format. ✨

🎯 Target Selection

When you don't give any target selection options, cargo rustdoc will document all binary and library targets of the selected package. The binary gets skipped if its name is the same as the lib target. Binaries are also skipped if they have required-features that are missing. Bye bestie, you're not invited 🚪

Passing target selection flags will document only the specified targets.

Also, note that --bin, --example, --test and --bench flags also support common Unix glob patterns like *, ? and []. But — and this is the trap — to avoid your shell accidentally expanding glob patterns before Cargo handles them, you must use single quotes or double quotes around each glob pattern. Quote your globs or the shell will do crimes on your behalf 😭

  • --lib — Document the package's library. 📚
  • --bin name… — Document the specified binary. This flag may be specified multiple times and supports common Unix glob patterns.
  • --bins — Document all binary targets.
  • --example name… — Document the specified example. This flag may be specified multiple times and supports common Unix glob patterns.
  • --examples — Document all example targets.
  • --test name… — Document the specified integration test. This flag may be specified multiple times and supports common Unix glob patterns.
  • --tests — Document all targets in test mode that have the test = true manifest flag set. By default this includes the library and binaries built as unittests, and integration tests. Be aware that this will also build any required dependencies, so the lib target may be built twice (once as a unittest, and once as a dependency for binaries, integration tests, etc.). Targets may be enabled or disabled by setting the test flag in the manifest settings for the target. Two builds, one lib, that's just how it is 🫠
  • --bench name… — Document the specified benchmark. This flag may be specified multiple times and supports common Unix glob patterns.
  • --benches — Document all targets in benchmark mode that have the bench = true manifest flag set. By default this includes the library and binaries built as benchmarks, and bench targets. Be aware that this will also build any required dependencies, so the lib target may be built twice (once as a benchmark, and once as a dependency for binaries, benchmarks, etc.). Targets may be enabled or disabled by setting the bench flag in the manifest settings for the target.
  • --all-targets — Document all targets. This is equivalent to specifying --lib --bins --tests --benches --examples. The full lineup, the whole squad, everybody's here 🌈

🧚 Feature Selection

Feature flags are how you control which features get enabled. When no feature options are given, the default feature is activated for every selected package. Periodt.

See the features documentation (https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/features.html#command-line-feature-options) for more details.

  • -F features, --features features — Space or comma separated list of features to activate. Features of workspace members may be enabled with package-name/feature-name syntax. This flag may be specified multiple times, which enables all specified features. Stack 'em up 💅
  • --all-features — Activate all available features of all selected packages. Everything. All of it. Go off 🔥
  • --no-default-features — Do not activate the default feature of the selected packages. Respectfully declining ✋

🔨 Compilation Options

  • --target triple — Document for the given architecture. The default is the host architecture. The general format of the triple is <arch><sub>-<vendor>-<sys>-<abi>. Run rustc --print target-list for a list of supported targets. This flag may be specified multiple times.

This may also be specified with the build.target config value (https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/config.html).

Note that specifying this flag makes Cargo run in a different mode where the target artifacts are placed in a separate directory. See the build cache documentation (https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/build-cache.html) for more details. Different mode, different directory, same chaotic energy 💀

  • -r, --release — Document optimized artifacts with the release profile. See also the --profile option for choosing a specific profile by name. She's optimized, she's thriving ✨
  • --profile name — Document with the given profile. See the reference (https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/profiles.html) for more details on profiles.
  • --timings=fmts — Output information how long each compilation takes, and track concurrency information over time. Accepts an optional comma-separated list of output formats; --timings without an argument will default to --timings=html. Specifying an output format (rather than the default) is unstable and requires -Zunstable-options. Valid output formats:
    • html (unstable, requires -Zunstable-options): Write a human-readable file cargo-timing.html to the target/cargo-timings directory with a report of the compilation. Also write a report to the same directory with a timestamp in the filename if you want to look at older runs. HTML output is suitable for human consumption only, and does not provide machine-readable timing data. Pretty to look at, not built for robots 🎀
    • json (unstable, requires -Zunstable-options): Emit machine-readable JSON information about timing information. For the robots 🤖

📂 Output Options

  • --target-dir directory — Directory for all generated artifacts and intermediate files. May also be specified with the CARGO_TARGET_DIR environment variable, or the build.target-dir config value (https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/config.html). Defaults to target in the root of the workspace. That's where everything lives 🏠

🖥️ Display Options

  • -v, --verbose — Use verbose output. May be specified twice for "very verbose" output which includes extra output such as dependency warnings and build script output. May also be specified with the term.verbose config value (https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/config.html). Twice for very verbose, because why not know everything 👀
  • -q, --quiet — Do not print cargo log messages. May also be specified with the term.quiet config value (https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/config.html). Silent mode, shhh 🤫
  • --color when — Control when colored output is used. Valid values:
    • auto (default): Automatically detect if color support is available on the terminal.
    • always: Always display colors. Always. Slay 🌈
    • never: Never display colors.

May also be specified with the term.color config value (https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/config.html).

  • --message-format fmt — The output format for diagnostic messages. Can be specified multiple times and consists of comma-separated values. Valid values:
    • human (default): Display in a human-readable text format. Conflicts with short and json.
    • short: Emit shorter, human-readable text messages. Conflicts with human and json.
    • json: Emit JSON messages to stdout. See the reference (https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/external-tools.html#json-messages) for more details. Conflicts with human and short.
    • json-diagnostic-short: Ensure the rendered field of JSON messages contains the "short" rendering from rustc. Cannot be used with human or short.
    • json-diagnostic-rendered-ansi: Ensure the rendered field of JSON messages contains embedded ANSI color codes for respecting rustc's default color scheme. Cannot be used with human or short.
    • json-render-diagnostics: Instruct Cargo to not include rustc diagnostics in JSON messages printed, but instead Cargo itself should render the JSON diagnostics coming from rustc. Cargo's own JSON diagnostics and others coming from rustc are still emitted. Cannot be used with human or short.
some of these combos do NOT get along. read the "conflicts with" / "cannot be used with" notes before you start mixing, bestie 💖

📜 Manifest Options

  • --manifest-path path — Path to the Cargo.toml file. By default, Cargo searches for the Cargo.toml file in the current directory or any parent directory. It'll find it, don't worry 🔍
  • --ignore-rust-version — Ignore rust-version specification in packages. Look away, we don't see it 🙈
  • --locked — Asserts that the exact same dependencies and versions are used as when the existing Cargo.lock file was originally generated. Cargo will exit with an error when either of the following scenarios arises:
    • The lock file is missing.
    • Cargo attempted to change the lock file due to a different dependency resolution.

It may be used in environments where deterministic builds are desired, such as in CI pipelines. Deterministic queen behavior 👑

  • --offline — Prevents Cargo from accessing the network for any reason. Without this flag, Cargo will stop with an error if it needs to access the network and the network is not available. With this flag, Cargo will attempt to proceed without the network if possible. Airplane mode but make it a build system ✈️

okay so real talk about that --offline vibe — beware that this may result in different dependency resolution than online mode. Cargo will restrict itself to crates that are downloaded locally, even if there might be a newer version as indicated in the local copy of the index. See the cargo-fetch(1) command to download dependencies before going offline. May also be specified with the net.offline config value <https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/config.html>.

  • --frozen — Equivalent to specifying both --locked and --offline. so like, it's the ultimate "don't touch anything" combo 💅
  • --lockfile-path PATH — Changes the path of the lockfile from the default (<workspace_root>/Cargo.lock) to PATH. PATH must end with Cargo.lock (e.g. --lockfile-path /tmp/temporary-lockfile/Cargo.lock). Note that providing --lockfile-path will ignore existing lockfile at the default path, and instead will either use the lockfile from PATH, or write a new lockfile into the provided PATH if it doesn’t exist. This flag can be used to run most commands in read-only directories, writing lockfile into the provided PATH.

This option is only available on the nightly channel <https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/appendix-07-nightly-rust.html> and requires the -Z unstable-options flag to enable (see #14421 <https://github.com/rust-lang/cargo/issues/14421>). so yeah, nightly girlies only 💅

✨ Common Options ✨

  • +toolchain — If Cargo has been installed with rustup, and the first argument to cargo begins with +, it will be interpreted as a rustup toolchain name (such as +stable or +nightly). See the rustup documentation <https://rust-lang.github.io/rustup/overrides.html> for more information about how toolchain overrides work. so like cargo +nightly is a whole vibe 🦋
  • --config KEY=VALUE or PATH — Overrides a Cargo configuration value. The argument should be in TOML syntax of KEY=VALUE, or provided as a path to an extra configuration file. This flag may be specified multiple times. See the command-line overrides section <https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/config.html#command-line-overrides> for more information.
  • -C PATH — Changes the current working directory before executing any specified operations. This affects things like where cargo looks by default for the project manifest (Cargo.toml), as well as the directories searched for discovering .cargo/config.toml, for example. This option must appear before the command name, for example cargo -C path/to/my-project build.

This option is only available on the nightly channel <https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/appendix-07-nightly-rust.html> and requires the -Z unstable-options flag to enable (see #10098 <https://github.com/rust-lang/cargo/issues/10098>).

  • -h, --help — Prints help information. the classic "help me please" button 🙈
  • -Z flag — Unstable (nightly-only) flags to Cargo. Run cargo -Z help for details.

✨ Miscellaneous Options ✨

  • -j N, --jobs N — Number of parallel jobs to run. May also be specified with the build.jobs config value <https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/config.html>. Defaults to the number of logical CPUs. If negative, it sets the maximum number of parallel jobs to the number of logical CPUs plus provided value. If a string default is provided, it sets the value back to defaults. Should not be 0. (zero is a no-no, okay? 🚫)
  • --keep-going — Build as many crates in the dependency graph as possible, rather than aborting the build on the first one that fails to build.

For example if the current package depends on dependencies fails and works, one of which fails to build, cargo rustdoc -j1 may or may not build the one that succeeds (depending on which one of the two builds Cargo picked to run first), whereas cargo rustdoc -j1 --keep-going would definitely run both builds, even if the one run first fails.

This option is only available on the nightly channel <https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/appendix-07-nightly-rust.html> and requires the -Z unstable-options flag to enable.

🌍 ENVIRONMENT 🌍

See the reference <https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/environment-variables.html> for details on environment variables that Cargo reads.

🚪 EXIT STATUS 🚪

  • 0: Cargo succeeded. 🎉
  • 101: Cargo failed to complete. 😭

🎀 EXAMPLES 🎀

  1. Build documentation with custom CSS included from a given file:
cargo rustdoc --lib -- --extend-css extra.css

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

cargo(1), cargo-doc(1), rustdoc(1)

and that's the whole page! the footer says CARGO-RUSTDOC(1) — that's the source/version + date line, bestie. iconic. periodt 💅✨💖

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