Question 1

How do I generate a C header from Rust using rusty-cheddar?

Accepted Answer

Integrate it into a Cargo build script by adding rusty-cheddar as a build-dependency, then use cheddar::Cheddar::new().run_build() in build.rs to output the header file. Ensure your Rust functions are marked with #[no_mangle] and appropriate ABIs.

Question 2

Is rusty-cheddar still maintained or should I use something else?

Accepted Answer

No, rusty-cheddar is deprecated and no longer actively maintained. The author recommends using cbindgen instead, which is more feature-rich and supported for modern Rust-C interoperability projects.

Question 3

What are the main limitations of rusty-cheddar for FFI?

Accepted Answer

It cannot handle generics in public types, diverging functions, or paths from other modules without opaque structs. Additionally, it only supports C99 or later standards and has stability issues due to pre-1.0.0 breaking changes.

Question 4

rusty-cheddar vs cbindgen, which is better for new projects?

Accepted Answer

Cbindgen is generally better for new projects because it is actively maintained, has more features, and better community support. Rusty-cheddar is outdated and only suitable for legacy codebases that already rely on it.

Question 5

Can rusty-cheddar handle Rust enums with tuple variants in C headers?

Accepted Answer

No, rusty-cheddar will fail if you try to export a #[repr(C)] enum with tuple or struct variants. It only supports simple enums with explicit discriminants, limiting its use for complex data types.

Question 6

How do I define an opaque struct for hiding Rust details in C?

Accepted Answer

Create a public newtype wrapping your Rust struct and mark it with #[repr(C)], then rusty-cheddar will generate a typedef for it in the header. This allows C code to use pointers to the struct without seeing its internals.

Question 7

What C standards does rusty-cheddar support and why?

Accepted Answer

It targets C99 or later, primarily for sane single-line comments and the use of stdint.h and stdbool.h. Older standards are not supported, and the author is hesitant to add them, so it's not suitable for legacy C environments.

rusty-cheddar

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