Cargo vs Synaptic
Cargo
doc.rust-lang.orgSynaptic
nongnu.orgSide by side
| Figure | Cargo | Synaptic |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Package Managers | 8.8 (#6) | 7.0 (#89) |
| Dependencies | Cargo supports dependencies from crates.io, other registries, Git repositories, and local filesystem paths. | It can fix broken package dependencies. |
| Dependency resolution | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Package formats | Rust crates; crates.io packages; alternate registry packages; Git dependencies; local path dependencies | Debian packages (.deb) |
| Purpose | Cargo is the Rust package manager. | Synaptic is a graphical package management tool based on GTK and APT for installing, upgrading, and removing software packages. |
| Support | Cargo asks users to report bugs through its GitHub issue tracker. | The project’s contribution page invites feedback, bug reports, and feature requests through its mailing list or directly to the authors. |
| Supported platforms | Windows; macOS; Linux; other Unix-like systems | Linux (Debian) |
| What it does | Cargo downloads package dependencies, compiles packages, creates distributable packages, and can upload them to the crates.io registry. | Synaptic is a graphical package management program for apt with a GTK-based GUI front end. |
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.