Question 1

How do I install cargo-udeps on Windows or Mac?

Accepted Answer

You can install it via cargo install with 'cargo install cargo-udeps --locked', or use package managers like Homebrew for Mac. On Windows, cargo install or GitHub releases are recommended options.

Question 2

cargo-udeps vs cargo-tree: which is better for managing dependencies?

Accepted Answer

cargo-udeps finds unused dependencies to remove them, while cargo-tree visualizes dependency graphs. Use cargo-udeps for optimization and cargo-tree for understanding dependencies; they complement each other.

Question 3

Why does cargo-udeps need Rust nightly to run?

Accepted Answer

cargo-udeps uses internal Cargo APIs that are only available in the nightly toolchain. Although it compiles on stable, execution requires nightly for these features, as noted in the README.

Question 4

How can I ignore a specific dependency in cargo-udeps?

Accepted Answer

Add the dependency name to 'package.metadata.cargo-udeps.ignore' in your Cargo.toml, specifying normal, development, or build sections. This handles cases like doc-tests or false positives.

Question 5

Does cargo-udeps check dev-dependencies or build-dependencies?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it can check all dependency types, but you need to configure ignore rules separately for development or build dependencies in the Cargo.toml metadata to avoid false positives.

Question 6

Is cargo-udeps accurate for large Rust projects?

Accepted Answer

It's useful but not perfect; known bugs mean it might miss some unused crates in complex dependencies. Always review its output manually, especially in large codebases with many transitive dependencies.

Question 7

How to set up cargo-udeps as a pre-commit hook?

Accepted Answer

Add a configuration to your .pre-commit-config.yaml referencing the GitHub repo, as shown in the README. This automates checks before commits, helping maintain dependency hygiene.

cargo udeps

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