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Tech riderRev. 20 Sept 2026

Tarpaulin

Ch 126.7of 26 Test Coverage Tools
  1. 1Runs onLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
  2. 2CostsNot stated by the maker
  3. 3Coverage typesline
  4. 4Supported languagesRust
  5. 5Report formatsJSON, stdout, XML, HTML, LCOV
  6. 6Pull-request annotationsYes
  7. 7Self-hosted optionYes
  8. 8Historical trendsYes
7 lines stated Written from the maker's own pages: github.com
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Overview

Tarpaulin is ranked #12 of 26 in test coverage tools on Specifiction. It runs on Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Windows.

Compared on test coverage tools

Coverage types
linegithub.com
Supported languages
Rustgithub.com
Report formats
JSON, stdout, XML, HTML, LCOVgithub.com
Pull-request annotations
Yesgithub.com
Self-hosted option
Yesgithub.com
Historical trends
Yesgithub.com
Coverage gates
Yesgithub.com

Facts

Purpose
Tarpaulin is a code coverage reporting tool for Rust projects using the Cargo build system.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Coverage
The README describes line coverage as working and warns that results may contain minor inaccuracies.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Reports
Tarpaulin can generate HTML, JSON, stdout, XML, and LCOV coverage reports.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Test targets
It can collect coverage for tests, doctests, benchmarks, examples, libraries, and binaries.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Filtering
It supports including or excluding files from coverage results and configurable coverage runs through a TOML file.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Coverage services
The README describes uploading coverage to Coveralls or Codecov.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Installation
Tarpaulin is a command-line program installed with Cargo, and the README also mentions Nix and cargo-binstall installation options.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Operating systems
The README describes use on Linux, Mac, and Windows, and says Tarpaulin can also run in Docker.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Linux limit
The default Linux Ptrace backend only works on x86_64; the README says users can switch to LLVM instrumentation with --engine llvm.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Backend caveats
The README warns that LLVM coverage may not return data when tests exit with a nonzero code and has limitations with thread safety and fork-like system calls.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Branch coverage
The CLI help labels branch coverage as not implemented.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Support
The README welcomes issues, feature requests, and pull requests, and points users to troubleshooting guidance.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
License
Tarpaulin is licensed under both MIT and Apache License 2.0.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Release signing
The GitHub release page says the 0.37.4 tag and its associated commit were signed with a verified committer signature.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Platforms
Linux uses Ptrace by default, which works only on x86_64, while LLVM instrumentation is available; Mac and Windows use LLVM instrumentation by default.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Docker
Docker images allow Tarpaulin to run on systems with Docker, and the README notes that required project dependencies may need to be installed in the image.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Accuracy
The README cautions that results may have minor inaccuracies and that unusual combinations of packages and build features can cause issues.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
LLVM limitations
LLVM coverage may omit data when tests exit nonzero and has thread-safety and fork-related limitations.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Security
The Docker instructions use seccomp=unconfined and also describe adjusting the seccomp policy to allow the personality syscall.github.com · 5 Oct 2026

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Where it ranks on Specifiction

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