This technical deep dive explores the initialization processes that occur before main() in Rust programs, including the role of runtimes and novel techniques for handling mutable data. The article provides insights into Rust's runtime architecture and its relationship with the C runtime, while introducing the author's own linktime project and ctor crate for managing initialization code.
Background
In systems programming, understanding program initialization is crucial as it involves setting up the runtime environment, memory management, and other low-level operations before the main function executes. Rust builds its runtime on top of the C runtime while providing its own abstractions and safety guarantees.
- Source
- Lobsters
- Published
- Jun 12, 2026 at 01:32 AM
- Score
- 7.0 / 10