Configure your Rust development environment for Azure

2025-09-03

Configure your local Rust development environment for Azure to build cloud applications efficiently on your workstation before deployment. Local development gives you access to a wider variety of tools and a familiar environment for faster iteration.

This article provides suggestions to set up and validate a local Rust development environment that integrates seamlessly with Azure services.

One-time subscription creation

You create Azure resources within a subscription and resource group. If you don't have a subscription, create a free trial subscription.

If you already have a subscription, access your existing subscription with:

One-time software installation

For Azure development with Rust on your local workstation, install the following tools:

Name/Installer	Description
Rust	Install the Rust programming language via rustup, which includes the Rust compiler (rustc), package manager (cargo), and standard library.
Visual Studio Code	Visual Studio Code gives you a great Rust integration and coding experience but it isn't required. You can use any code editor.
Visual Studio Code extensions	Install any relevant extensions for Azure services you intend to use.
rust-analyzer extension	The recommended VS Code extension for Rust language support, providing code completion, error checking, and more.

How to install Rust

Follow these steps to install Rust:

Go to https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install.
Follow the instructions for your operating system to install rustup, the Rust toolchain installer.
Verify your installation by running the following commands:
```
rustc --version
cargo --version
```

The Rust toolchain includes:

For detailed installation guidance and troubleshooting, see the Installation chapter in The Rust Programming Language book. For development environment setup tips, including editor configuration, see the Development Environment chapter and the official Rust development tools guide.

Create an Azure resource group for your project

Open the Azure portal in a web browser.
In the search bar, enter resource groups and select it.
Select + Create.

Enter your resource group settings:

Property	Value
Subscription	Select your subscription.
Resource group	Enter your resource group name. This resource group name is used as part of a resources URI when you access the Resource Manager (management plane). The name isn't used for control (such as creating a database) or data plane (inserting data into a table).
Region	Select a geographical region for the resource group.

Select Review + create to begin validation.
When validation successes, select Create.

Open the command palette, Ctrl + Shift + P.
Search for create resource group and select it.

Answer the prompts using the following settings:

Prompt	Value
Select subscription	Sign in to Azure if prompted. Select an existing subscription or create an Azure account if you don't have one.
Enter the name of the new resource group.	Enter your resource group name. This resource group name is used as part of a resources URI when you access the Resource Manager (management plane). The name isn't used for control (such as creating a database) or data plane (inserting data into a table).
Select a location for new resources.	Select a geographical region for the resource group.

Log in to Azure:
```
az login
```
Complete the authentication in a browser.
List your subscription names and IDs. Copy the SubscriptionId value to use the next command.
```
az account subscription list --output table 
```
Set your default subscription, used by subsequent commands:
```
az account set --subscription YOUR_SUBSCRIPTION_ID
```
Select from a list of locations supported for your subscription. Copy the Name value of a region close to you.
```
az account list-locations --output table
```

Use the following Azure CLI to create a resource group with your subscription name or ID:

az group create --name "YOUR_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME" --location YOUR_REGION

For example:

az group create --name "my-azure-app" --location westus

Add Azure SDK crates to your Rust project

You can get the Azure SDK for Rust crates from crates.io. To learn more, see Azure SDK for Rust.

Authenticate to Azure

To authenticate to Azure from your Rust application, use the Azure Identity SDK crate. This library provides a set of credential types that you can use to authenticate to Azure services.

Additional Rust resources

If you're new to Rust, these official resources can help you get up to speed:

The Rust Programming Language - The official Rust book, covering everything from basics to advanced topics
Rust by Example - Learn Rust through hands-on examples
The Cargo Book - Complete guide to Cargo, Rust's package manager and build system
Rustlings - Interactive exercises to learn Rust
Rust development tools - Official overview of IDEs, editors, and development tools

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