# rust-lang/reference

The Rust Reference

Repository: https://github.com/rust-lang/reference
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/rust-lang-reference
Homepage: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/reference/
Language: Rust
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: rust-lang, reference, documentation, rust
Last push: 2026-08-25T19:48:31+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 77/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3472, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1547, forks 605 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:01.716048+00:00)

## What it is
The Rust Reference is the official primary reference documenting the Rust programming language's syntax, semantics, and behavior, published as an online book. This repository contains the source for the book, which is actively maintained alongside Rust's six-week release cycle.

## Use cases
- look up exact Rust language semantics
- check how Rust borrow checker rules are specified
- find the official definition of Rust syntax and grammar
- verify language behavior details against the compiler
- contribute corrections to Rust language documentation

## When to choose
- you need authoritative details on Rust language semantics or grammar
- you are writing tools or documentation that must match Rust's specification
- you want to clarify ambiguous or undocumented Rust behavior

## When to avoid
- you are a beginner learning Rust for the first time - use The Rust Book instead
- you need standard library API documentation - use std docs
- you need rustc or Cargo tool documentation - they have separate books

## Facets
- artifact type: learning-resource
- maturity: active
- function: documentation
- domain: programming-languages, documentation, developer-tools
- platform: rust
- tags: rust-language, language-specification, reference-book, mdbook, web-server

## Member repositories
- rust-lang/reference (main) score 77

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:01.716048+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:30:30.083850+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/rust-lang/reference (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:01.716048+00:00, sha 47dba2d90360)
  - homepage: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/reference/ (fetched 2026-08-29T11:31:22.976526+00:00, sha d27050fba20f)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.