Rust Modules vs Python Packages
What you'll learn:
modandusevsimport, visibility (pub) vs Python's convention-based privacy, Cargo.toml vs pyproject.toml, crates.io vs PyPI, and workspaces vs monorepos.Difficulty: 🟢 Beginner
Python Module System
# Python — files are modules, directories with __init__.py are packages
# myproject/
# ├── __init__.py # Makes it a package
# ├── main.py
# ├── utils/
# │ ├── __init__.py # Makes utils a sub-package
# │ ├── helpers.py
# │ └── validators.py
# └── models/
# ├── __init__.py
# ├── user.py
# └── product.py
# Importing:
from myproject.utils.helpers import format_name
from myproject.models.user import User
import myproject.utils.validators as validators
Rust Module System
// Rust — mod declarations create the module tree, files provide content
// src/
// ├── main.rs # Crate root — declares modules
// ├── utils/
// │ ├── mod.rs # Module declaration (like __init__.py)
// │ ├── helpers.rs
// │ └── validators.rs
// └── models/
// ├── mod.rs
// ├── user.rs
// └── product.rs
// In src/main.rs:
mod utils; // Tells Rust to look for src/utils/mod.rs
mod models; // Tells Rust to look for src/models/mod.rs
use utils::helpers::format_name;
use models::user::User;
// In src/utils/mod.rs:
pub mod helpers; // Declares and re-exports helpers.rs
pub mod validators; // Declares and re-exports validators.rs
graph TD
A["main.rs<br/>(crate root)"] --> B["mod utils"]
A --> C["mod models"]
B --> D["utils/mod.rs"]
D --> E["helpers.rs"]
D --> F["validators.rs"]
C --> G["models/mod.rs"]
G --> H["user.rs"]
G --> I["product.rs"]
style A fill:#d4edda,stroke:#28a745
style D fill:#fff3cd,stroke:#ffc107
style G fill:#fff3cd,stroke:#ffc107
Python equivalent: Think of
mod.rsas__init__.py— it declares what the module exports. The crate root (main.rs/lib.rs) is like your top-level package__init__.py.
Key Differences
| Concept | Python | Rust |
|---|---|---|
| Module = file | ✅ Automatic | Must declare with mod |
| Package = directory | __init__.py | mod.rs |
| Public by default | ✅ Everything | ❌ Private by default |
| Make public | _prefix convention | pub keyword |
| Import syntax | from x import y | use x::y; |
| Wildcard import | from x import * | use x::*; (discouraged) |
| Relative imports | from . import sibling | use super::sibling; |
| Re-export | __all__ or explicit | pub use inner::Thing; |
Visibility — Private by Default
# Python — "we're all adults here"
class User:
def __init__(self):
self.name = "Alice" # Public (by convention)
self._age = 30 # "Private" (convention: single underscore)
self.__secret = "shhh" # Name-mangled (not truly private)
# Nothing stops you from accessing _age or even __secret
print(user._age) # Works fine
print(user._User__secret) # Works too (name mangling)
// Rust — private is enforced by the compiler
pub struct User {
pub name: String, // Public — anyone can access
age: i32, // Private — only this module can access
}
impl User {
pub fn new(name: &str, age: i32) -> Self {
User { name: name.to_string(), age }
}
pub fn age(&self) -> i32 { // Public getter
self.age
}
fn validate(&self) -> bool { // Private method
self.age > 0
}
}
// Outside the module:
let user = User::new("Alice", 30);
println!("{}", user.name); // ✅ Public
// println!("{}", user.age); // ❌ Compile error: field is private
println!("{}", user.age()); // ✅ Public method (getter)
Crates vs PyPI Packages
Python Packages (PyPI)
# Python
pip install requests # Install from PyPI
pip install "requests>=2.28" # Version constraint
pip freeze > requirements.txt # Lock versions
pip install -r requirements.txt # Reproduce environment
Rust Crates (crates.io)
# Rust
cargo add reqwest # Install from crates.io (adds to Cargo.toml)
cargo add reqwest@0.12 # Version constraint
# Cargo.lock is auto-generated — no manual step
cargo build # Downloads and compiles dependencies
Cargo.toml vs pyproject.toml
# Rust — Cargo.toml
[package]
name = "my-project"
version = "0.1.0"
edition = "2021"
[dependencies]
serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] } # With feature flags
reqwest = { version = "0.12", features = ["json"] }
tokio = { version = "1", features = ["full"] }
log = "0.4"
[dev-dependencies]
mockall = "0.13"
Essential Crates for Python Developers
| Python Library | Rust Crate | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
requests | reqwest | HTTP client |
json (stdlib) | serde_json | JSON parsing |
pydantic | serde | Serialization/validation |
pathlib | std::path (stdlib) | Path handling |
os / shutil | std::fs (stdlib) | File operations |
re | regex | Regular expressions |
logging | tracing / log | Logging |
click / argparse | clap | CLI argument parsing |
asyncio | tokio | Async runtime |
datetime | chrono | Date and time |
pytest | Built-in + rstest | Testing |
dataclasses | #[derive(...)] | Data structures |
typing.Protocol | Traits | Structural typing |
subprocess | std::process (stdlib) | Run external commands |
sqlite3 | rusqlite | SQLite |
sqlalchemy | diesel / sqlx | ORM / SQL toolkit |
fastapi | axum / actix-web | Web framework |
Workspaces vs Monorepos
Python Monorepo (typical)
# Python monorepo (various approaches, no standard)
myproject/
├── pyproject.toml # Root project
├── packages/
│ ├── core/
│ │ ├── pyproject.toml # Each package has its own config
│ │ └── src/core/...
│ ├── api/
│ │ ├── pyproject.toml
│ │ └── src/api/...
│ └── cli/
│ ├── pyproject.toml
│ └── src/cli/...
# Tools: poetry workspaces, pip -e ., uv workspaces — no standard
Rust Workspace
# Rust — Cargo.toml at root
[workspace]
members = [
"core",
"api",
"cli",
]
# Shared dependencies across workspace
[workspace.dependencies]
serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] }
tokio = { version = "1", features = ["full"] }
# Rust workspace structure — standardized, built into Cargo
myproject/
├── Cargo.toml # Workspace root
├── Cargo.lock # Single lock file for all crates
├── core/
│ ├── Cargo.toml # [dependencies] serde.workspace = true
│ └── src/lib.rs
├── api/
│ ├── Cargo.toml
│ └── src/lib.rs
└── cli/
├── Cargo.toml
└── src/main.rs
# Workspace commands
cargo build # Build everything
cargo test # Test everything
cargo build -p core # Build just the core crate
cargo test -p api # Test just the api crate
cargo clippy --all # Lint everything
Key insight: Rust workspaces are first-class, built into Cargo. Python monorepos require third-party tools (poetry, uv, pants) with varying levels of support. In a Rust workspace, all crates share a single
Cargo.lock, ensuring consistent dependency versions across the project.
Exercises
<details> <summary><strong>🏋️ Exercise: Module Visibility</strong> (click to expand)</summary>Challenge: Given this module structure, predict which lines compile and which don't:
mod kitchen {
fn secret_recipe() -> &'static str { "42 spices" }
pub fn menu() -> &'static str { "Today's special" }
pub mod staff {
pub fn cook() -> String {
format!("Cooking with {}", super::secret_recipe())
}
}
}
fn main() {
println!("{}", kitchen::menu()); // Line A
println!("{}", kitchen::secret_recipe()); // Line B
println!("{}", kitchen::staff::cook()); // Line C
}
- Line A: ✅ Compiles —
menu()ispub - Line B: ❌ Compile error —
secret_recipe()is private tokitchen - Line C: ✅ Compiles —
staff::cook()ispub, andcook()can accesssecret_recipe()viasuper::(child modules can access parent's private items)
Key takeaway: In Rust, child modules can see parent's privates (like Python's _private convention, but enforced). Outsiders cannot. This is the opposite of Python where _private is just a hint.