Avoiding Excessive clone()

What you'll learn: Why .clone() is a code smell in Rust, how to restructure ownership to eliminate unnecessary copies, and the specific patterns that signal an ownership design problem.

Coming from C++, .clone() feels like a safe default — "just copy it". But excessive cloning hides ownership problems and hurts performance.
Rule of thumb: If you're cloning to satisfy the borrow checker, you probably need to restructure ownership instead.

When clone() is wrong

// BAD: Cloning a String just to pass it to a function that only reads it
fn log_message(msg: String) {  // Takes ownership unnecessarily
    println!("[LOG] {}", msg);
}
let message = String::from("GPU test passed");
log_message(message.clone());  // Wasteful: allocates a whole new String
log_message(message);           // Original consumed — clone was pointless

// GOOD: Accept a borrow — zero allocation
fn log_message(msg: &str) {    // Borrows, doesn't own
    println!("[LOG] {}", msg);
}
let message = String::from("GPU test passed");
log_message(&message);          // No clone, no allocation
log_message(&message);          // Can call again — message not consumed

Real example: returning `&str` instead of cloning

// Example: healthcheck.rs — returns a borrowed view, zero allocation
pub fn serial_or_unknown(&self) -> &str {
    self.serial.as_deref().unwrap_or(UNKNOWN_VALUE)
}

pub fn model_or_unknown(&self) -> &str {
    self.model.as_deref().unwrap_or(UNKNOWN_VALUE)
}

The C++ equivalent would return const std::string& or std::string_view — but in C++ neither is lifetime-checked. In Rust, the borrow checker guarantees the returned &str can't outlive self.

Real example: static string slices — no heap at all

// Example: healthcheck.rs — compile-time string tables
const HBM_SCREEN_RECIPES: &[&str] = &[
    "hbm_ds_ntd", "hbm_ds_ntd_gfx", "hbm_dt_ntd", "hbm_dt_ntd_gfx",
    "hbm_burnin_8h", "hbm_burnin_24h",
];

In C++ this would typically be std::vector<std::string> (heap-allocated on first use). Rust's &'static [&'static str] lives in read-only memory — zero runtime cost.

When clone() IS appropriate

Situation	Why clone is OK	Example
`Arc::clone()` for threading	Bumps ref count (~1 ns), doesn't copy data	`let flag = stop_flag.clone();`
Moving data into a spawned thread	Thread needs its own copy	`let ctx = ctx.clone(); thread::spawn(move \|\| { ... })`
Extracting from `&self` fields	Can't move out of a borrow	`self.name.clone()` when returning owned `String`
Small `Copy` types wrapped in `Option`	`.copied()` is clearer than `.clone()`	`opt.get(0).copied()` for `Option<&u32>` → `Option<u32>`

// Example: workload.rs — Arc::clone is cheap (ref count bump)
let stop_flag = Arc::new(AtomicBool::new(false));
let stop_flag_clone = stop_flag.clone();   // ~1 ns, no data copied
let ctx_clone = ctx.clone();               // Clone context for move into thread

let sensor_handle = thread::spawn(move || {
    // ...uses stop_flag_clone and ctx_clone
});

Checklist: Should I clone?

Can I accept &str / &T instead of String / T? → Borrow, don't clone
Can I restructure to avoid needing two owners? → Pass by reference or use scopes
Is this Arc::clone()? → That's fine, it's O(1)
Am I moving data into a thread/closure? → Clone is necessary
Am I cloning in a hot loop? → Profile and consider borrowing or Cow<T>

`Cow<'a, T>`: Clone-on-Write — borrow when you can, clone when you must

Cow (Clone on Write) is an enum that holds either a borrowed reference or an owned value. It's the Rust equivalent of "avoid allocation when possible, but allocate if you need to modify." C++ has no direct equivalent — the closest is a function that returns const std::string& sometimes and std::string other times.

Why `Cow` exists

// Without Cow — you must choose: always borrow OR always clone
fn normalize(s: &str) -> String {          // Always allocates!
    if s.contains(' ') {
        s.replace(' ', "_")               // New String (allocation needed)
    } else {
        s.to_string()                     // Unnecessary allocation!
    }
}

// With Cow — borrow when unchanged, allocate only when modified
use std::borrow::Cow;

fn normalize(s: &str) -> Cow<'_, str> {
    if s.contains(' ') {
        Cow::Owned(s.replace(' ', "_"))    // Allocates (must modify)
    } else {
        Cow::Borrowed(s)                   // Zero allocation (passthrough)
    }
}

How `Cow` works

use std::borrow::Cow;

// Cow<'a, str> is essentially:
// enum Cow<'a, str> {
//     Borrowed(&'a str),     // Zero-cost reference
//     Owned(String),          // Heap-allocated owned value
// }

fn greet(name: &str) -> Cow<'_, str> {
    if name.is_empty() {
        Cow::Borrowed("stranger")         // Static string — no allocation
    } else if name.starts_with(' ') {
        Cow::Owned(name.trim().to_string()) // Modified — allocation needed
    } else {
        Cow::Borrowed(name)               // Passthrough — no allocation
    }
}

fn main() {
    let g1 = greet("Alice");     // Cow::Borrowed("Alice")
    let g2 = greet("");          // Cow::Borrowed("stranger")
    let g3 = greet(" Bob ");     // Cow::Owned("Bob")
    
    // Cow<str> implements Deref<Target = str>, so you can use it as &str:
    println!("Hello, {g1}!");    // Works — Cow auto-derefs to &str
    println!("Hello, {g2}!");
    println!("Hello, {g3}!");
}

Real-world use case: config value normalization

use std::borrow::Cow;

/// Normalize a SKU name: trim whitespace, lowercase.
/// Returns Cow::Borrowed if already normalized (zero allocation).
fn normalize_sku(sku: &str) -> Cow<'_, str> {
    let trimmed = sku.trim();
    if trimmed == sku && sku.chars().all(|c| c.is_lowercase() || !c.is_alphabetic()) {
        Cow::Borrowed(sku)   // Already normalized — no allocation
    } else {
        Cow::Owned(trimmed.to_lowercase())  // Needs modification — allocate
    }
}

fn main() {
    let s1 = normalize_sku("server-x1");   // Borrowed — zero alloc
    let s2 = normalize_sku("  Server-X1 "); // Owned — must allocate
    println!("{s1}, {s2}"); // "server-x1, server-x1"
}

When to use `Cow`

Situation	Use `Cow`?
Function returns input unchanged most of the time	✅ Yes — avoid unnecessary clones
Parsing/normalizing strings (trim, lowercase, replace)	✅ Yes — often input is already valid
Always modifying — every code path allocates	❌ No — just return `String`
Simple pass-through (never modifies)	❌ No — just return `&str`
Data stored in a struct long-term	❌ No — use `String` (owned)

C++ comparison: Cow<str> is like a function that returns std::variant<std::string_view, std::string> — except with automatic deref and no boilerplate to access the value.

`Weak<T>`: Breaking Reference Cycles — Rust's `weak_ptr`

Weak<T> is the Rust equivalent of C++ std::weak_ptr<T>. It holds a non-owning reference to an Rc<T> or Arc<T> value. The value can be deallocated while Weak references still exist — calling upgrade() returns None if the value is gone.

Why `Weak` exists

Rc<T> and Arc<T> create reference cycles if two values point to each other — neither ever reaches refcount 0, so neither is dropped (memory leak). Weak breaks the cycle:

use std::rc::{Rc, Weak};
use std::cell::RefCell;

#[derive(Debug)]
struct Node {
    value: String,
    parent: RefCell<Weak<Node>>,      // Weak — doesn't prevent parent from dropping
    children: RefCell<Vec<Rc<Node>>>,  // Strong — parent owns children
}

impl Node {
    fn new(value: &str) -> Rc<Node> {
        Rc::new(Node {
            value: value.to_string(),
            parent: RefCell::new(Weak::new()),
            children: RefCell::new(Vec::new()),
        })
    }

    fn add_child(parent: &Rc<Node>, child: &Rc<Node>) {
        // Child gets a weak reference to parent (no cycle)
        *child.parent.borrow_mut() = Rc::downgrade(parent);
        // Parent gets a strong reference to child
        parent.children.borrow_mut().push(Rc::clone(child));
    }
}

fn main() {
    let root = Node::new("root");
    let child = Node::new("child");
    Node::add_child(&root, &child);

    // Access parent from child via upgrade()
    if let Some(parent) = child.parent.borrow().upgrade() {
        println!("Child's parent: {}", parent.value); // "root"
    }
    
    println!("Root strong count: {}", Rc::strong_count(&root));  // 1
    println!("Root weak count: {}", Rc::weak_count(&root));      // 1
}

C++ comparison

// C++ — weak_ptr to break shared_ptr cycle
struct Node {
    std::string value;
    std::weak_ptr<Node> parent;                  // Weak — no ownership
    std::vector<std::shared_ptr<Node>> children;  // Strong — owns children

    static auto create(const std::string& v) {
        return std::make_shared<Node>(Node{v, {}, {}});
    }
};

auto root = Node::create("root");
auto child = Node::create("child");
child->parent = root;          // weak_ptr assignment
root->children.push_back(child);

if (auto p = child->parent.lock()) {   // lock() → shared_ptr or null
    std::cout << "Parent: " << p->value << std::endl;
}

C++	Rust	Notes
`shared_ptr<T>`	`Rc<T>` (single-thread) / `Arc<T>` (multi-thread)	Same semantics
`weak_ptr<T>`	`Weak<T>` from `Rc::downgrade()` / `Arc::downgrade()`	Same semantics
`weak_ptr::lock()` → `shared_ptr` or null	`Weak::upgrade()` → `Option<Rc<T>>`	`None` if dropped
`shared_ptr::use_count()`	`Rc::strong_count()`	Same meaning

When to use `Weak`

Situation	Pattern
Parent ↔ child tree relationships	Parent holds `Rc<Child>`, child holds `Weak<Parent>`
Observer pattern / event listeners	Event source holds `Weak<Observer>`, observer holds `Rc<Source>`
Cache that doesn't prevent deallocation	`HashMap<Key, Weak<Value>>` — entries go stale naturally
Breaking cycles in graph structures	Cross-links use `Weak`, tree edges use `Rc`/`Arc`

Prefer the arena pattern (Case Study 2) over Rc/Weak for tree structures in new code. Vec<T> + indices is simpler, faster, and has zero reference-counting overhead. Use Rc/Weak when you need shared ownership with dynamic lifetimes.

Copy vs Clone, PartialEq vs Eq — when to derive what

Copy ≈ C++ trivially copyable (no custom copy ctor/dtor). Types like int, enum, and simple POD structs — the compiler generates a bitwise memcpy automatically. In Rust, Copy is the same idea: assignment let b = a; does an implicit bitwise copy and both variables remain valid.
Clone ≈ C++ copy constructor / operator= deep-copy. When a C++ class has a custom copy constructor (e.g., to deep-copy a std::vector member), the equivalent in Rust is implementing Clone. You must call .clone() explicitly — Rust never hides an expensive copy behind =.
Key distinction: In C++, both trivial copies and deep copies happen implicitly via the same = syntax. Rust forces you to choose: Copy types copy silently (cheap), non-Copy types move by default, and you must opt in to an expensive duplicate with .clone().
Similarly, C++ operator== doesn't distinguish between types where a == a always holds (like integers) and types where it doesn't (like float with NaN). Rust encodes this in PartialEq vs Eq.

Copy vs Clone

	Copy	Clone
How it works	Bitwise memcpy (implicit)	Custom logic (explicit `.clone()`)
When it happens	On assignment: `let b = a;`	Only when you call `.clone()`
After copy/clone	Both `a` and `b` are valid	Both `a` and `b` are valid
Without either	`let b = a;` moves `a` (a is gone)	`let b = a;` moves `a` (a is gone)
Allowed for	Types with no heap data	Any type
C++ analogy	Trivially copyable / POD types (no custom copy ctor)	Custom copy constructor (deep copy)

Real example: Copy — simple enums

// From fan_diag/src/sensor.rs — all unit variants, fits in 1 byte
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize, Default)]
pub enum FanStatus {
    #[default]
    Normal,
    Low,
    High,
    Missing,
    Failed,
    Unknown,
}

let status = FanStatus::Normal;
let copy = status;   // Implicit copy — status is still valid
println!("{:?} {:?}", status, copy);  // Both work

Real example: Copy — enum with integer payloads

// Example: healthcheck.rs — u32 payloads are Copy, so the whole enum is too
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
pub enum HealthcheckStatus {
    Pass,
    ProgramError(u32),
    DmesgError(u32),
    RasError(u32),
    OtherError(u32),
    Unknown,
}

Real example: Clone only — struct with heap data

// Example: components.rs — String prevents Copy
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
pub struct FruData {
    pub technology: DeviceTechnology,
    pub physical_location: String,      // ← String: heap-allocated, can't Copy
    pub expected: bool,
    pub removable: bool,
}
// let a = fru_data;   → MOVES (a is gone)
// let a = fru_data.clone();  → CLONES (fru_data still valid, new heap allocation)

The rule: Can it be Copy?

Does the type contain String, Vec, Box, HashMap,
Rc, Arc, or any other heap-owning type?
    YES → Clone only (cannot be Copy)
    NO  → You CAN derive Copy (and should, if the type is small)

PartialEq vs Eq

	PartialEq	Eq
What it gives you	`==` and `!=` operators	Marker: "equality is reflexive"
Reflexive? (a == a)	Not guaranteed	Guaranteed
Why it matters	`f32::NAN != f32::NAN`	`HashMap` keys require `Eq`
When to derive	Almost always	When the type has no `f32`/`f64` fields
C++ analogy	`operator==`	No direct equivalent (C++ doesn't check)

Real example: Eq — used as HashMap key

// From hms_trap/src/cpu_handler.rs — Hash requires Eq
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Hash)]
pub enum CpuFaultType {
    InvalidFaultType,
    CpuCperFatalErr,
    CpuLpddr5UceErr,
    CpuC2CUceFatalErr,
    // ...
}
// Used as: HashMap<CpuFaultType, FaultHandler>
// HashMap keys must be Eq + Hash — PartialEq alone won't compile

Real example: No Eq possible — type contains f32

// Example: types.rs — f32 prevents Eq
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize, Default)]
pub struct TemperatureSensors {
    pub warning_threshold: Option<f32>,   // ← f32 has NaN ≠ NaN
    pub critical_threshold: Option<f32>,  // ← can't derive Eq
    pub sensor_names: Vec<String>,
}
// Cannot be used as HashMap key. Cannot derive Eq.
// Because: f32::NAN == f32::NAN is false, violating reflexivity.

PartialOrd vs Ord

	PartialOrd	Ord
What it gives you	`<`, `>`, `<=`, `>=`	`.sort()`, `BTreeMap` keys
Total ordering?	No (some pairs may be incomparable)	Yes (every pair is comparable)
f32/f64?	PartialOrd only (NaN breaks ordering)	Cannot derive Ord

Real example: Ord — severity ranking

// From hms_trap/src/fault.rs — variant order defines severity
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, PartialOrd, Ord)]
pub enum FaultSeverity {
    Info,      // lowest  (discriminant 0)
    Warning,   //         (discriminant 1)
    Error,     //         (discriminant 2)
    Critical,  // highest (discriminant 3)
}
// FaultSeverity::Info < FaultSeverity::Critical → true
// Enables: if severity >= FaultSeverity::Error { escalate(); }

Real example: Ord — diagnostic levels for comparison

// Example: orchestration.rs
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, PartialOrd, Ord, Default)]
pub enum GpuDiagLevel {
    #[default]
    Quick,     // lowest
    Standard,
    Extended,
    Full,      // highest
}
// Enables: if requested_level >= GpuDiagLevel::Extended { run_extended_tests(); }

Derive decision tree

                        Your new type
                            │
                   Contains String/Vec/Box?
                      /              \
                    YES                NO
                     │                  │
              Clone only          Clone + Copy
                     │                  │
              Contains f32/f64?    Contains f32/f64?
                /          \         /          \
              YES           NO     YES           NO
               │             │      │             │
         PartialEq       PartialEq  PartialEq  PartialEq
         only            + Eq       only       + Eq
                          │                      │
                    Need sorting?           Need sorting?
                      /       \               /       \
                    YES        NO            YES        NO
                     │          │              │          │
               PartialOrd    Done        PartialOrd    Done
               + Ord                     + Ord
                     │                        │
               Need as                  Need as
               map key?                 map key?
                  │                        │
                + Hash                   + Hash

Quick reference: common derive combos from production Rust code

Type category	Typical derive	Example
Simple status enum	`Copy, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Default`	`FanStatus`
Enum used as HashMap key	`Copy, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Hash`	`CpuFaultType`, `SelComponent`
Sortable severity enum	`Copy, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, PartialOrd, Ord`	`FaultSeverity`, `GpuDiagLevel`
Data struct with Strings	`Clone, Debug, Serialize, Deserialize`	`FruData`, `OverallSummary`
Serializable config	`Clone, Debug, Default, Serialize, Deserialize`	`DiagConfig`