In a message to Debian’s devel mailing list, Julian Andres Klode, a long-time Debian developer and one of the primary maintainers of the APT package manager, has announced plans to introduce hard Rust dependencies into APT beginning no earlier than May 2026.
Klode explained that this change will bring the Rust compiler, standard library, and parts of the Sequoia ecosystem into Debian’s core package management infrastructure. Initially, the Rust integration will focus on critical areas such as parsing .deb, .ar, and .tar files, as well as handling HTTP signature verification.
According to Klode, these components would “strongly benefit from memory-safe languages and a stronger approach to unit testing.” The goal is to improve both …
In a message to Debian’s devel mailing list, Julian Andres Klode, a long-time Debian developer and one of the primary maintainers of the APT package manager, has announced plans to introduce hard Rust dependencies into APT beginning no earlier than May 2026.
Klode explained that this change will bring the Rust compiler, standard library, and parts of the Sequoia ecosystem into Debian’s core package management infrastructure. Initially, the Rust integration will focus on critical areas such as parsing .deb, .ar, and .tar files, as well as handling HTTP signature verification.
According to Klode, these components would “strongly benefit from memory-safe languages and a stronger approach to unit testing.” The goal is to improve both security and reliability by rewriting portions of APT’s low-level code in Rust, a language known for its compile-time guarantees against common memory-related errors.
“It’s important for the project as whole to be able to move forward and rely on modern tools and technologies and not be held back by trying to shoehorn modern software on retro computing devices.”
The decision also comes with a warning for maintainers of Debian ports that lack a working Rust toolchain. Klode urged them to ensure full Rust support within the next six months or consider sunsetting those ports. This effectively means that architectures unable to build Rust code will no longer be officially supported once the transition begins.
Surprising to some or expected to others, this marks a significant move for the Debian project as a whole. By embedding Rust into APT, the distro joins a growing number of major open-source projects, such as the Linux kernel, Firefox, and systemd, that are gradually adopting Rust.
And if I had to guess, I’d say this is just the first step toward even deeper Rust integration in this legendary distribution, which is a good thing.
For more information, refer to the message on the Debian-devel mailing list.
Bobby Borisov
Bobby, an editor-in-chief at Linuxiac, is a Linux professional with over 20 years of experience. With a strong focus on Linux and open-source software, he has worked as a Senior Linux System Administrator, Software Developer, and DevOps Engineer for small and large multinational companies.