-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 1.8k
RAII chapter for idiomatic rust #2820
New issue
Have a question about this project? Sign up for a free GitHub account to open an issue and contact its maintainers and the community.
By clicking “Sign up for GitHub”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy statement. We’ll occasionally send you account related emails.
Already on GitHub? Sign in to your account
base: main
Are you sure you want to change the base?
Changes from all commits
39ae8f6
f4269b7
bb88a79
5a4838e
d804144
5c2ec8c
0baa990
9fa819a
4ebb43f
42a4237
2923cf3
48c5baa
File filter
Filter by extension
Conversations
Jump to
Diff view
Diff view
There are no files selected for viewing
Original file line number | Diff line number | Diff line change | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@ | ||||||||||||
--- | ||||||||||||
minutes: 30 | ||||||||||||
--- | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
# RAII: `Drop` trait | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
RAII (**R**esource **A**cquisition **I**s **I**nitialization) ties the lifetime | ||||||||||||
of a resource to the lifetime of a value. | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
[Rust uses RAII to manage memory](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/scope/raii.html), | ||||||||||||
and the `Drop` trait allows you to extend this to other resources, such as file | ||||||||||||
descriptors or locks. | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
```rust,editable | ||||||||||||
pub struct File(std::os::fd::RawFd); | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
impl File { | ||||||||||||
pub fn open(path: &str) -> Result<Self, std::io::Error> { | ||||||||||||
// [...] | ||||||||||||
Ok(Self(0)) | ||||||||||||
} | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
pub fn read_to_end(&mut self) -> Result<Vec<u8>, std::io::Error> { | ||||||||||||
// [...] | ||||||||||||
Ok(b"example".to_vec()) | ||||||||||||
} | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
pub fn close(self) -> Result<(), std::io::Error> { | ||||||||||||
// [...] | ||||||||||||
Ok(()) | ||||||||||||
} | ||||||||||||
} | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
fn main() -> Result<(), std::io::Error> { | ||||||||||||
let mut file = File::open("example.txt")?; | ||||||||||||
println!("content: {:?}", file.read_to_end()?); | ||||||||||||
Ok(()) | ||||||||||||
} | ||||||||||||
``` | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
<details> | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
- This example shows how easy it is to forget releasing a file descriptor when | ||||||||||||
managing it manually. The code as written does not call `file.close()`. Did | ||||||||||||
anyone in the class notice? | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
- To release the file descriptor correctly, `file.close()` must be called after | ||||||||||||
the last use — and also in early-return paths in case of errors. | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
- Instead of relying on the user to call `close()`, we can implement the `Drop` | ||||||||||||
trait to release the resource automatically. This ties cleanup to the lifetime | ||||||||||||
of the `File` value. | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
```rust,compile_fail | ||||||||||||
impl Drop for File { | ||||||||||||
fn drop(&mut self) { | ||||||||||||
println!("release file descriptor automatically"); | ||||||||||||
} | ||||||||||||
} | ||||||||||||
``` | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
- Note that `Drop::drop` cannot return errors. Any fallible logic must be | ||||||||||||
handled internally or ignored. In the standard library, errors returned while | ||||||||||||
closing an owned file descriptor during `Drop` are silently discarded: | ||||||||||||
<https://doc.rust-lang.org/src/std/os/fd/owned.rs.html#169-196> | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
- If both `drop()` and `close()` exist, the file descriptor may be released | ||||||||||||
twice. To avoid this, remove `close()` and rely solely on `Drop`. | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
- When is `Drop::drop` called? | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Normally, when the `file` variable in `main` goes out of scope (either on | ||||||||||||
return or due to a panic), `drop()` is called automatically. | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
If the file is moved into another function, for example `read_all()`, the | ||||||||||||
value is dropped when that function returns — not in `main`. | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
In contrast, C++ runs destructors in the original scope even for moved-from | ||||||||||||
values. | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
- The same mechanism powers `std::mem::drop`: | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
```rust | ||||||||||||
pub fn drop<T>(_x: T) {} | ||||||||||||
``` | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
You can use it to force early destruction of a value before its natural end of | ||||||||||||
scope. | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
- Insert `panic!("oops")` at the start of `read_to_end()` to show that `drop()` | ||||||||||||
still runs during unwinding. Rust guarantees this unless the panic strategy is | ||||||||||||
set to `abort`. | ||||||||||||
Comment on lines
+90
to
+92
There was a problem hiding this comment. Choose a reason for hiding this commentThe reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.
Suggested change
You cover this in the next bullet point, so I think this one can be simplified. |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
- There are cases where destructors will not run: | ||||||||||||
- If a destructor itself panics during unwinding, the program aborts | ||||||||||||
immediately. | ||||||||||||
- If the program exits with `std::process::exit()` or is compiled with the | ||||||||||||
`abort` panic strategy, destructors are skipped. | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
### More to Explore | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
The `Drop` trait has another important limitation: it is not `async`. | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
This means you cannot `await` inside a destructor, which is often needed when | ||||||||||||
cleaning up asynchronous resources like sockets, database connections, or tasks | ||||||||||||
that must signal completion to another system. | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
- Learn more: | ||||||||||||
<https://rust-lang.github.io/async-fundamentals-initiative/roadmap/async_drop.html> | ||||||||||||
- There is an experimental `AsyncDrop` trait available on nightly: | ||||||||||||
<https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/std/future/trait.AsyncDrop.html> | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
</details> |
GlenDC marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
Original file line number | Diff line number | Diff line change |
---|---|---|
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@ | ||
# Drop Bombs: Enforcing API Correctness | ||
|
||
Use `Drop` to enforce invariants and detect incorrect API usage. A "drop bomb" | ||
panics if a value is dropped without being explicitly finalized. | ||
|
||
This pattern is often used when the finalizing operation (like `commit()` or | ||
`rollback()`) needs to return a `Result`, which cannot be done from `Drop`. | ||
|
||
```rust,editable | ||
use std::io::{self, Write}; | ||
|
||
struct Transaction { | ||
active: bool, | ||
} | ||
|
||
impl Transaction { | ||
/// Begin a [`Transaction`]. | ||
/// | ||
/// ## Panics | ||
/// | ||
/// Panics if the transaction is dropped without | ||
/// calling [`Self::commit`] or [`Self::rollback`]. | ||
fn start() -> Self { | ||
Self { active: true } | ||
} | ||
|
||
fn commit(mut self) -> io::Result<()> { | ||
writeln!(io::stdout(), "COMMIT")?; | ||
self.active = false; | ||
Ok(()) | ||
} | ||
|
||
fn rollback(mut self) -> io::Result<()> { | ||
writeln!(io::stdout(), "ROLLBACK")?; | ||
self.active = false; | ||
Ok(()) | ||
} | ||
} | ||
|
||
impl Drop for Transaction { | ||
fn drop(&mut self) { | ||
if self.active { | ||
panic!("Transaction dropped without commit or rollback!"); | ||
} | ||
} | ||
} | ||
|
||
fn main() -> io::Result<()> { | ||
let tx = Transaction::start(); | ||
|
||
if some_condition() { | ||
tx.commit()?; | ||
} else { | ||
tx.rollback()?; | ||
} | ||
|
||
// Uncomment to see the panic: | ||
// let tx2 = Transaction::start(); | ||
|
||
Ok(()) | ||
} | ||
|
||
fn some_condition() -> bool { | ||
// [...] | ||
true | ||
} | ||
``` | ||
|
||
<details> | ||
|
||
- This pattern ensures that a value like `Transaction` cannot be silently | ||
dropped in an unfinished state. The destructor panics if neither `commit()` | ||
nor `rollback()` has been called. | ||
|
||
- A common reason to use this pattern is when cleanup cannot be done in `Drop`, | ||
either because it is fallible or asynchronous. | ||
|
||
- This pattern is appropriate even in public APIs. It can help users catch bugs | ||
early when they forget to explicitly finalize a transactional object. | ||
|
||
- If a value can be safely cleaned up in `Drop`, consider falling back to that | ||
behavior in Release mode and panicking only in Debug. This decision should be | ||
made based on the guarantees your API provides. | ||
|
||
- Panicking in Release builds is a valid choice if silent misuse could lead to | ||
serious correctness issues or security concerns. | ||
|
||
## Additional Patterns | ||
|
||
- [`Option<T>` with `.take()`](https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/option/enum.Option.html#method.take): | ||
A common pattern inside `Drop` to move out internal values and prevent double | ||
drops. | ||
|
||
```rust,compile_fail | ||
impl Drop for MyResource { | ||
fn drop(&mut self) { | ||
if let Some(handle) = self.handle.take() { | ||
// do cleanup with handle | ||
} | ||
} | ||
} | ||
``` | ||
|
||
- [`ManuallyDrop`](https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/mem/struct.ManuallyDrop.html): | ||
Prevents automatic destruction and gives full manual control. Requires | ||
`unsafe`, so only use when strictly necessary. | ||
|
||
- [`drop_bomb` crate](https://docs.rs/drop_bomb/latest/drop_bomb/): A small | ||
utility that panics if dropped unless explicitly defused with `.defuse()`. | ||
Comes with a `DebugDropBomb` variant that only activates in debug builds. | ||
|
||
- In some systems, a value must be finalized by a specific API before it is | ||
dropped. | ||
|
||
For example, an `SshConnection` might need to be deregistered from an | ||
`SshServer` before being dropped, or the program panics. This helps catch | ||
programming mistakes during development and enforces correct teardown at | ||
runtime. | ||
|
||
See a working example in | ||
[the Rust playground](https://play.rust-lang.org/?version=stable&mode=debug&edition=2024&gist=3223f5fa5e821cd32461c3af7162cd55). | ||
|
||
</details> |
There was a problem hiding this comment. Choose a reason for hiding this commentThe reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more. I've left a couple of comments in here about improving the example code, but I'd like to also propose a higher level change. I think we could split this slide in two, where the first slide would be "Mutex and MutexGuard" that just demonstrates using a mutex, i.e. what's in the I think doing it that way would flow a bit better, because we would first show how the pattern is used, then dig into the details of how the pattern is implemented. It'd also allow us to slightly expand the example implementation to be a bit more detailed. Here's a playground link with a rough example of what the second slide would show. That doesn't compile currently because it's modifying a field of |
Original file line number | Diff line number | Diff line change |
---|---|---|
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@ | ||
# Mutex | ||
|
||
In earlier examples, RAII was used to manage concrete resources like file | ||
descriptors. With a `Mutex`, the resource is more abstract: exclusive access to | ||
a value. | ||
|
||
Rust models this using a `MutexGuard`, which ties access to a critical section | ||
to the lifetime of a value on the stack. | ||
|
||
```rust | ||
#[derive(Debug)] | ||
struct Mutex<T> { | ||
value: std::cell::UnsafeCell<T>, | ||
// [...] | ||
} | ||
|
||
#[derive(Debug)] | ||
struct MutexGuard<'a, T> { | ||
value: &'a mut T, | ||
// [...] | ||
} | ||
|
||
impl<T> Mutex<T> { | ||
fn new(value: T) -> Self { | ||
Self { | ||
value: std::cell::UnsafeCell::new(value), | ||
// [...] | ||
} | ||
} | ||
|
||
fn lock(&self) -> MutexGuard<T> { | ||
// [...] | ||
let value = unsafe { &mut *self.value.get() }; | ||
MutexGuard { value } | ||
} | ||
} | ||
|
||
impl<'a, T> std::ops::Deref for MutexGuard<'a, T> { | ||
type Target = T; | ||
fn deref(&self) -> &T { | ||
self.value | ||
} | ||
} | ||
|
||
impl<'a, T> std::ops::DerefMut for MutexGuard<'a, T> { | ||
fn deref_mut(&mut self) -> &mut T { | ||
self.value | ||
} | ||
} | ||
Comment on lines
+38
to
+49
There was a problem hiding this comment. Choose a reason for hiding this commentThe reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more. For brevity I think we can omit the |
||
|
||
impl<'a, T> Drop for MutexGuard<'a, T> { | ||
fn drop(&mut self) { | ||
// [...] | ||
println!("drop MutexGuard"); | ||
} | ||
Comment on lines
+52
to
+55
There was a problem hiding this comment. Choose a reason for hiding this commentThe reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more. I think this is failing to demonstrate the crucial part of |
||
} | ||
|
||
fn main() { | ||
let m = Mutex::new(vec![1, 2, 3]); | ||
|
||
let mut guard = m.lock(); | ||
guard.push(4); | ||
guard.push(5); | ||
println!("{guard:?}"); | ||
} | ||
``` | ||
|
||
<details> | ||
|
||
- A `Mutex` controls exclusive access to a value. Unlike earlier RAII examples, | ||
the resource here is not external but logical: the right to mutate shared | ||
data. | ||
|
||
- This right is represented by a `MutexGuard`. Only one can exist at a time. | ||
While it lives, it provides `&mut T` access — enforced using `UnsafeCell`. | ||
|
||
- Although `lock()` takes `&self`, it returns a `MutexGuard` with mutable | ||
access. This is possible through interior mutability: a common pattern for | ||
safe shared-state mutation. | ||
|
||
- `MutexGuard` implements `Deref` and `DerefMut`, making access ergonomic. You | ||
lock the mutex, use the guard like a `&mut T`, and the lock is released | ||
automatically when the guard goes out of scope. | ||
|
||
- The release is handled by `Drop`. There is no need to call a separate unlock | ||
function — this is RAII in action. | ||
|
||
## Poisoning | ||
|
||
- If a thread panics while holding the lock, the value may be in a corrupt | ||
state. | ||
|
||
- To signal this, the standard library uses poisoning. When `Drop` runs during a | ||
panic, the mutex marks itself as poisoned. | ||
|
||
- On the next `lock()`, this shows up as an error. The caller must decide | ||
whether to proceed or handle the error differently. | ||
|
||
- See this example showing the standard library API with poisoning: | ||
<https://play.rust-lang.org/?version=stable&mode=debug&edition=2024&gist=6fb0c2e9e5cbcbbae1c664f4650b8c92> | ||
Comment on lines
+88
to
+100
There was a problem hiding this comment. Choose a reason for hiding this commentThe reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more. I don't think it's worth going into poisoning here. The point here is to demonstrate the drop guard pattern, not to talk in detail about how mutexes work. |
||
|
||
### Mutex Lock Lifecycle | ||
|
||
```bob | ||
+---------------+ +----------------------+ | ||
| Mutex<T> | lock | MutexGuard<T> | | ||
| Unlocked | ------> | Exclusive Access | | ||
+---------------+ +----------------------+ | ||
|
||
^ | drop | ||
| no | | ||
+---------------+ | | ||
| | | ||
| V | ||
|
||
+---------------+ yes +-------------------+ | ||
| Mutex<T> | <---- | Thread panicking? | | ||
| Poisoned | +-------------------+ | ||
+---------------+ | ||
|
||
| | ||
| lock | ||
| | ||
v | ||
|
||
+------------------+ | ||
| Err ( Poisoned ) | | ||
+------------------+ | ||
``` | ||
Comment on lines
+102
to
+129
There was a problem hiding this comment. Choose a reason for hiding this commentThe reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more. I don't think we need this diagram, especially if we drop the discussion of poisoning as I suggested in another comment. |
||
|
||
</details> |
Uh oh!
There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.