How to use the command rustup component (with examples)
This article explains the different use cases of the rustup component command, which is used to modify a toolchain’s installed components in Rust. The command allows you to add, remove, and list the installed and available components for a specific toolchain.
Use case 1: Add a component to a toolchain
Code:
rustup component add --toolchain <toolchain> <component>
Motivation: You would use this use case if you want to add a specific component to a particular toolchain in Rust. Components include tools such as clippy, rust-docs, miri, and many others.
Explanation:
--toolchain <toolchain>: Specifies the toolchain to add the component to. If this option is not provided, rustup will use the default toolchain.<component>: The name of the component to add to the specified toolchain.
Example output:
info: installing component 'clippy'
info: component 'clippy' for target 'x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu' is up to date
Use case 2: Remove a component from a toolchain
Code:
rustup component remove --toolchain <toolchain> <component>
Motivation: You may need to remove a component from a toolchain if you no longer require it or want to free up disk space. This use case allows you to remove specific components from a particular toolchain.
Explanation:
--toolchain <toolchain>: Specifies the toolchain to remove the component from. If this option is not provided, rustup will use the default toolchain.<component>: The name of the component to remove from the specified toolchain.
Example output:
info: removing component 'clippy'
info: component 'clippy' for target 'x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu' is not installed
Use case 3: List installed and available components for a toolchain
Code:
rustup component list --toolchain <toolchain>
Motivation: If you want to see a list of installed and available components for a specific toolchain, you can use this use case. It allows you to check which components are already installed and which ones are available for installation.
Explanation:
--toolchain <toolchain>: Specifies the toolchain to list the components for. If this option is not provided, rustup will use the default toolchain.
Example output:
cargo (default toolchain)
clippy (installed)
llvm-tools-preview (installed)
miri (installed)
rust-analysis (installed)
rust-docs (installed)
rust-src (installed)
Use case 4: List installed components for a toolchain
Code:
rustup component list --toolchain <toolchain> --installed
Motivation: If you want to only see the list of installed components for a specific toolchain, you can use this use case. It provides a more focused output, showing only the components that are currently installed.
Explanation:
--toolchain <toolchain>: Specifies the toolchain to list the installed components for. If this option is not provided, rustup will use the default toolchain.--installed: Specifies that only the installed components should be shown in the output.
Example output:
clippy (installed)
llvm-tools-preview (installed)
miri (installed)
rust-analysis (installed)
rust-docs (installed)
rust-src (installed)
Conclusion:
The rustup component command is a powerful tool for modifying a toolchain’s installed components in Rust. Whether you need to add or remove a specific component or simply want to list the available and installed components, this command provides flexible functionality to manage your Rust environment effectively.
