No_mangle
no_mangle is a Rust attribute that prevents name mangling for an item, preserving its symbol name in compiled output.
Refactoring to Rust
The no_mangle attribute prevents the Rust compiler from applying symbol name mangling to an item.
- How it is used
- Makes Rust function names predictable when C code must find them through a linker.
- How deep it goes
- Explains why mangling obstructs named C linkage and distinguishes it from visibility and calling conventions, without detailing the mangling algorithm.
- Examples
- Contrasts a calculator’s unresolved `solve` symbol with its annotated Rust function and an NGINX handler with an address-only callback.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure it on Rust functions C calls by name, while omitting it from callbacks C receives by address.
Rust in Action: Systems programming concepts and techniques
no_mangle is a Rust attribute that suppresses compiler name mangling for an item’s externally visible symbol.
- How it is used
- Controls Rust symbol names when a bare-metal kernel or external component must locate an item predictably.
- How deep it goes
- Explains symbol strings, name-mangling collisions, and boot failure risk, but stops short of linker-level details.
- Examples
- Uses a kernel’s panic handler and _start entry point as concrete no_mangle examples.
- What you can do after
- Apply no_mangle to preserve predictable symbols in a Rust kernel or external-component interface.
Read how Rust in Action: Systems programming concepts and techniques explains no_mangle →
Related concepts
- name manglingaddresses · Name mangling is the transformation of identifiers into altered names to encode distinguishing information or reduce naming collisions.
- foreign function interfaceuses · A foreign function interface is a mechanism that enables code in one programming language to call functions or access data provided by another language through compatible conventions.
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