Rust Servers, Services and Apps

Introduction

The book «Rust Servers, Services and Apps» (author — Prabhu Eshwarla, 2023, 457 pages) is a practical guide to building server applications, web services, and full-fledged applications in the Rust language. Unlike many introductory books, this work focuses specifically on industrial backend system development: from a simple HTTP server to asynchronous microservices with databases and authentication. The book is intended for readers already familiar with the basics of Rust and offers a sequential path from theory to a real project.

What the book is about

The book is divided into three logical parts, each dedicated to a specific level of complexity:

• Part 1. Fundamentals of Server Programming. This section covers creating a simple HTTP server from scratch, working with sockets, parsing requests, and forming responses. The author shows how Rust ensures memory safety even in low-level network code.
• Part 2. Asynchrony and Frameworks. Asynchronous runtimes (Tokio, async-std), frameworks Actix-web and Warp are examined in detail. You will learn how to build REST APIs, work with JSON, manage state, and handle errors.
• Part 3. Full-Fledged Applications. The final project is creating a web service for task management (todo application) using PostgreSQL, sessions, JWT authentication, and testing. The book also touches on deployment and monitoring.

Who this book is for

The book is aimed at developers already familiar with Rust syntax (for example, those who have read «The Rust Programming Language»), but who have no experience in building server applications. It will be useful for:

• Backend developers wishing to switch to Rust from other languages (Go, Python, Java);
• Systems programming specialists who want to build high-performance web services;
• Students and instructors of courses on modern programming languages.

What the reader will learn

After studying the book, the reader will be able to:

• Create HTTP servers and REST APIs in Rust using Actix-web and Warp;
• Work with asynchronous input/output (Tokio, async/await);
• Connect and use databases (PostgreSQL, SQLite) via sqlx and diesel;
• Implement authentication and authorization (JWT, sessions);
• Write unit and integration tests for server code;
• Set up CI/CD and deploy Rust applications in Docker.

Strengths

The main advantage of the book is its practical focus. Each chapter contains ready-to-run code that can be modified. The author does not just list the capabilities of libraries, but explains why a particular solution was chosen and how to avoid typical mistakes. It is especially valuable that the book covers the full development cycle: from design to deployment. Another plus is its relevance: all examples use stable versions of Rust and popular crates (actix-web 4, tokio 1.x, sqlx 0.7).

Who it is recommended for

The book «Rust Servers, Services and Apps» is recommended for anyone who wants to master server-side development in Rust and create reliable, fast, and secure web services. It will be an excellent addition to the library of both novice and experienced developers wishing to deepen their knowledge in the areas of asynchronous programming and Rust web frameworks.