Cargo vs Nala
Cargo
doc.rust-lang.orgNala
gitlab.comSide by side
| Figure | Cargo | Nala |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Package Managers | 8.8 (#6) | 8.0 (#39) |
| Dependency resolution | Yes | Yes |
| Package formats | Rust crates; crates.io packages; alternate registry packages; Git dependencies; local path dependencies | .deb |
| Purpose | Cargo is the Rust package manager. | Nala is a command-line front-end for libapt-pkg, currently being rewritten in Rust on top of rust-apt. |
| Support | Cargo asks users to report bugs through its GitHub issue tracker. | The repository links to GitLab Issues for bug reports and feature requests. |
| Supported platforms | Windows; macOS; Linux; other Unix-like systems | Debian,Ubuntu,and derivatives |
| What it does | Cargo downloads package dependencies, compiles packages, creates distributable packages, and can upload them to the crates.io registry. | Nala is a command-line front end for libapt-pkg that aims to make APT package operations easier to inspect before committing changes. |
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.