Question
Answer and Explanation
To build a Cargo project with a specific profile using the Command Line Interface (CLI), you use the --profile flag with the cargo build command. Here's how to do it:
1. Understanding Cargo Profiles:
Cargo uses profiles to manage different build configurations. The two most common profiles are dev (development) and release (production). The dev profile is used by default for cargo build, optimized for debugging, whereas the release profile is optimized for performance and smaller binary sizes. You can also define custom profiles in your Cargo.toml file.
2. Using the --profile Flag:
The --profile flag allows you to specify which profile to use during the build process. The syntax for building with a specific profile is:
cargo build --profile <profile-name>
3. Examples:
- To build your project with the release profile, you would use:
cargo build --profile release
- To use a custom profile, for example, a profile named my-custom-profile, you would use:
cargo build --profile my-custom-profile
4. Configuring Custom Profiles:
- Custom profiles are defined in the [profile.] section of your Cargo.toml file. Here's an example:
[profile.my-custom-profile]
opt-level = 3
lto = true
codegen-units = 1
5. Where the Output is Located
- By default, the compiled binaries are placed in the target/<profile-name>/ directory within your project’s root. For example, if you use cargo build --profile release, your executable will be in target/release/, and if you use cargo build --profile my-custom-profile it will be placed in target/my-custom-profile/.
6. Additional Information:
- You can also use the shorthand command cargo build -p <profile-name>, this is equivalent to using cargo build --profile <profile-name>. For instance, cargo build -p release.
In summary, to build your Cargo project with a specific profile, use the cargo build --profile <profile-name> command in your CLI, replacing <profile-name> with the profile you wish to use, such as release or a custom profile defined in your Cargo.toml file.