Cargo vs Mix
Cargo
doc.rust-lang.org
Mix
mix.hexdocs.pmSide by side
| Figure | Cargo | Mix |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Package Managers | 8.8 (#6) | 7.7 (#55) |
| Dependencies | Cargo supports dependencies from crates.io, other registries, Git repositories, and local filesystem paths. | Mix manages dependencies and integrates with the Hex package manager. |
| Dependency resolution | Yes | Yes |
| Extensibility | Cargo supports new subcommands without modifying Cargo itself. | Projects can add custom Mix tasks that are invoked from the command line. |
| Lockfile support | Yes | Yes |
| Offline installation | Yes | Yes |
| Package formats | Rust crates; crates.io packages; alternate registry packages; Git dependencies; local path dependencies | Hex packages,Git dependencies,local path dependencies,Rebar3 projects,Make projects |
| Private registry auth | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | Cargo is the Rust package manager. | Mix is a build tool for creating, compiling, and testing Elixir projects and managing their dependencies. |
| Supported platforms | Windows; macOS; Linux; other Unix-like systems | macOS,GNU/Linux,Windows,FreeBSD,OpenBSD |
| What it does | Cargo downloads package dependencies, compiles packages, creates distributable packages, and can upload them to the crates.io registry. | Mix is a build tool for creating, compiling, and testing Elixir projects, managing dependencies, and running other tasks. |
| Workspace support | Yes | Yes |
Plans
In their own words
Cargo
Cargo is the free package manager and build tool for Rust, used through a command-line interface. It downloads dependencies, builds packages, and supports repeatable builds with lockfiles. Developers can compile, check, document, test, run, package, install, and publish Rust projects. The `cargo new` command creates a package, defaulting to a binary; adding `--lib` creates a library. Cargo uses crates.io by default and also handles alternate registries, Git dependencies, and local paths. Workspaces allow multiple packages to share a lockfile and output directory. Package features can enable conditional compilation and optional dependencies. In offline mode, Cargo avoids network access and attempts to use cached data. It supports authentication options for registries and new subcommands without modifying Cargo itself. Rustup installs Cargo with the stable Rust release, and installation instructions cover Windows, macOS, Linux, and other Unix-like systems. Cargo is open source under the MIT and Apache License, Version 2.0. Some documented capabilities remain unstable and require a nightly toolchain and `-Z` flags.