Gabor Szabo, creator of Rust Digger website, discusses the importance of repository links, handling crates without owners, name squatting, and upcoming work on Rust Digger.
Encouraging crate maintainers to include repository links promotes transparency and accessibility for open-source projects in the Rust ecosystem.
Rust Digger aims to encourage crate maintainers to adopt modern and reliable continuous integration (CI) solutions.
Deep dives
Overview of Rust Digger
Rust Digger is a website that aims to analyze Rust crates and find common practices in software development and packaging. It was created by Gabor, who also developed similar sites for Pearl, Python, and Ruby. The website collects metadata on all the crates from the crates.io database, focusing on fields like repository links and continuous integration. The goal is to provide recommendations to package maintainers and promote best practices in the Rust ecosystem.
Analyzing Crate Repository Links
One of the main focuses of Rust Digger is monitoring repository links in the crates. Gabor suggests that each crate should have an optional field indicating its repository location, making it easier for users to find the source code. Through analyzing the crates, Gabor discovered that about 80% of them have this field, while 20% are missing it. This finding highlights the importance of encouraging crate maintainers to include repository links, promoting transparency and accessibility for open-source projects.
Continuous Integration and Testing
Rust Digger also addresses the topic of continuous integration (CI) and testing in Rust crates. The website checks for the presence of CI configurations in crates using platforms like GitHub Actions or Travis CI. Gabor explains that some crates still use outdated CI systems like Travis, and it is crucial to ensure that CI is functional and up-to-date. By analyzing and reporting on CI setups, Rust Digger aims to encourage crate maintainers to adopt modern and reliable CI solutions.
Future Plans and Collaborations
Moving forward, Gabor has several plans for improving Rust Digger. These include fixing memory leaks, enhancing repository cloning functionality, and running additional analysis tools like Clippy on crate repositories. Gabor welcomes contributions from the community in the form of issue reports and code contributions. Suggestions for future features and improvements are also encouraged, and Gabor is open to collaboration and discussing ideas with other users of the website.
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