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5 changes: 5 additions & 0 deletions src/SUMMARY.md
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- [Semantic Confusion](idiomatic/leveraging-the-type-system/newtype-pattern/semantic-confusion.md)
- [Parse, Don't Validate](idiomatic/leveraging-the-type-system/newtype-pattern/parse-don-t-validate.md)
- [Is It Encapsulated?](idiomatic/leveraging-the-type-system/newtype-pattern/is-it-encapsulated.md)
- [RAII](idiomatic/leveraging-the-type-system/raii.md)
- [Mutex](idiomatic/leveraging-the-type-system/raii/mutex.md)
- [Drop Guards](idiomatic/leveraging-the-type-system/raii/drop_guards.md)
- [Drop Bomb](idiomatic/leveraging-the-type-system/raii/drop_bomb.md)
- [Scope Guard](idiomatic/leveraging-the-type-system/raii/scope_guard.md)

---

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112 changes: 112 additions & 0 deletions src/idiomatic/leveraging-the-type-system/raii.md
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---
minutes: 30
---

# RAII: `Drop` trait

RAII (**R**esource **A**cquisition **I**s **I**nitialization) ties the lifetime
of a resource to the lifetime of a value.

[Rust uses RAII to manage memory](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/scope/raii.html),
and the `Drop` trait allows you to extend this to other resources, such as file
descriptors or locks.

```rust,editable
pub struct File(std::os::fd::RawFd);

impl File {
pub fn open(path: &str) -> Result<Self, std::io::Error> {
// [...]
Ok(Self(0))
}

pub fn read_to_end(&mut self) -> Result<Vec<u8>, std::io::Error> {
// [...]
Ok(b"example".to_vec())
}

pub fn close(self) -> Result<(), std::io::Error> {
// [...]
Ok(())
}
}

fn main() -> Result<(), std::io::Error> {
let mut file = File::open("example.txt")?;
println!("content: {:?}", file.read_to_end()?);
Ok(())
}
```

<details>

- This example shows how easy it is to forget releasing a file descriptor when
managing it manually. The code as written does not call `file.close()`. Did
anyone in the class notice?

- To release the file descriptor correctly, `file.close()` must be called after
the last use — and also in early-return paths in case of errors.

- Instead of relying on the user to call `close()`, we can implement the `Drop`
trait to release the resource automatically. This ties cleanup to the lifetime
of the `File` value.

```rust,compile_fail
impl Drop for File {
fn drop(&mut self) {
println!("release file descriptor automatically");
}
}
```

- Note that `Drop::drop` cannot return errors. Any fallible logic must be
handled internally or ignored. In the standard library, errors returned while
closing an owned file descriptor during `Drop` are silently discarded:
<https://doc.rust-lang.org/src/std/os/fd/owned.rs.html#169-196>

- If both `drop()` and `close()` exist, the file descriptor may be released
twice. To avoid this, remove `close()` and rely solely on `Drop`.

- When is `Drop::drop` called?

Normally, when the `file` variable in `main` goes out of scope (either on
return or due to a panic), `drop()` is called automatically.

If the file is moved into another function, for example `read_all()`, the
value is dropped when that function returns — not in `main`.

In contrast, C++ runs destructors in the original scope even for moved-from
values.

- The same mechanism powers `std::mem::drop`:

```rust
pub fn drop<T>(_x: T) {}
```

You can use it to force early destruction of a value before its natural end of
scope.

- Insert `panic!("oops")` at the start of `read_to_end()` to show that `drop()`
still runs during unwinding.

- There are cases where destructors will not run:
- If a destructor itself panics during unwinding, the program aborts
immediately.
- If the program exits with `std::process::exit()` or is compiled with the
`abort` panic strategy, destructors are skipped.

### More to Explore

The `Drop` trait has another important limitation: it is not `async`.

This means you cannot `await` inside a destructor, which is often needed when
cleaning up asynchronous resources like sockets, database connections, or tasks
that must signal completion to another system.

- Learn more:
<https://rust-lang.github.io/async-fundamentals-initiative/roadmap/async_drop.html>
- There is an experimental `AsyncDrop` trait available on nightly:
<https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/std/future/trait.AsyncDrop.html>

</details>
123 changes: 123 additions & 0 deletions src/idiomatic/leveraging-the-type-system/raii/drop_bomb.md
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# Drop Bombs: Enforcing API Correctness

Use `Drop` to enforce invariants and detect incorrect API usage. A "drop bomb"
panics if a value is dropped without being explicitly finalized.

This pattern is often used when the finalizing operation (like `commit()` or
`rollback()`) needs to return a `Result`, which cannot be done from `Drop`.

```rust,editable
use std::io::{self, Write};

struct Transaction {
active: bool,
}

impl Transaction {
/// Begin a [`Transaction`].
///
/// ## Panics
///
/// Panics if the transaction is dropped without
/// calling [`Self::commit`] or [`Self::rollback`].
fn start() -> Self {
Self { active: true }
}

fn commit(mut self) -> io::Result<()> {
writeln!(io::stdout(), "COMMIT")?;
self.active = false;
Ok(())
}

fn rollback(mut self) -> io::Result<()> {
writeln!(io::stdout(), "ROLLBACK")?;
self.active = false;
Ok(())
}
}

impl Drop for Transaction {
fn drop(&mut self) {
if self.active {
panic!("Transaction dropped without commit or rollback!");
}
}
}

fn main() -> io::Result<()> {
let tx = Transaction::start();

if some_condition() {
tx.commit()?;
} else {
tx.rollback()?;
}

// Uncomment to see the panic:
// let tx2 = Transaction::start();

Ok(())
}

fn some_condition() -> bool {
// [...]
true
}
```

<details>

- This pattern ensures that a value like `Transaction` cannot be silently
dropped in an unfinished state. The destructor panics if neither `commit()`
nor `rollback()` has been called.

- A common reason to use this pattern is when cleanup cannot be done in `Drop`,
either because it is fallible or asynchronous.

- This pattern is appropriate even in public APIs. It can help users catch bugs
early when they forget to explicitly finalize a transactional object.

- If a value can be safely cleaned up in `Drop`, consider falling back to that
behavior in Release mode and panicking only in Debug. This decision should be
made based on the guarantees your API provides.

- Panicking in Release builds is a valid choice if silent misuse could lead to
serious correctness issues or security concerns.

## Additional Patterns

- [`Option<T>` with `.take()`](https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/option/enum.Option.html#method.take):
A common pattern inside `Drop` to move out internal values and prevent double
drops.

```rust,compile_fail
impl Drop for MyResource {
fn drop(&mut self) {
if let Some(handle) = self.handle.take() {
// do cleanup with handle
}
}
}
```

- [`ManuallyDrop`](https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/mem/struct.ManuallyDrop.html):
Prevents automatic destruction and gives full manual control. Requires
`unsafe`, so only use when strictly necessary.

- [`drop_bomb` crate](https://docs.rs/drop_bomb/latest/drop_bomb/): A small
utility that panics if dropped unless explicitly defused with `.defuse()`.
Comes with a `DebugDropBomb` variant that only activates in debug builds.

- In some systems, a value must be finalized by a specific API before it is
dropped.

For example, an `SshConnection` might need to be deregistered from an
`SshServer` before being dropped, or the program panics. This helps catch
programming mistakes during development and enforces correct teardown at
runtime.

See a working example in
[the Rust playground](https://play.rust-lang.org/?version=stable&mode=debug&edition=2024&gist=3223f5fa5e821cd32461c3af7162cd55).

</details>
85 changes: 85 additions & 0 deletions src/idiomatic/leveraging-the-type-system/raii/drop_guards.md
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# Drop Guards

A **drop guard** in Rust is a temporary _RAII_ guard that executes a specific
action when it goes out of scope.

It acts as a wrapper around a value, ensuring that some cleanup or secondary
behavior happens automatically when the guard is dropped.

One of the most common examples is `MutexGuard`, which represents temporary
exclusive access to a shared resource.

```rust
#[derive(Debug)]
struct Mutex<T> {
value: std::cell::UnsafeCell<T>,
is_locked: std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool,
}

#[derive(Debug)]
struct MutexGuard<'a, T> {
value: &'a mut T,
mutex: &'a Mutex<T>,
}

impl<T> Mutex<T> {
fn new(value: T) -> Self {
Self {
value: std::cell::UnsafeCell::new(value),
is_locked: std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool::new(false),
}
}

fn lock(&self) -> MutexGuard<'_, T> {
// Acquire the lock and create the guard object.
if self.is_locked.swap(true, std::sync::atomic::Ordering::AcqRel) {
todo!("Block until the lock is released");
}
let value = unsafe { &mut *self.value.get() };
MutexGuard { value, mutex: self }
}
}

impl<'a, T> Drop for MutexGuard<'a, T> {
fn drop(&mut self) {
self.mutex.is_locked.store(false, std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Release);
}
}

fn main() {
let m = Mutex::new(vec![1, 2, 3]);

let mut guard = m.lock();
guard.value.push(4);
guard.value.push(5);
println!("{guard:?}");
}
```

<details>

- The example above shows a simplified `Mutex` and its associated guard. Even
though it is not a production-ready implementation, it illustrates the core
idea: the guard enforces exclusive access, and its `Drop` implementation
guarantees that the lock is released when the guard goes out of scope.

- A few things are left out for brevity:

- `Deref` and `DerefMut` implementations for `MutexGuard`, which would allow
you to use the guard as if it were a direct reference to the inner value.
- Making `.lock()` truly blocking, so that it waits until the mutex is free
before returning.
- In addition, a `.try_lock()` method could be added to provide a
non-blocking alternative, returning `Option::None` or `Result::Err(...)`
if the mutex is still locked.

- Panics are not explicitly handled in the `Drop` implementation here. In
practice, one can use `std::thread::panicking()` to check if the guard was
dropped during a panic.

- The standard library’s `std::sync::Mutex` uses this to implement
**poisoning**, where a mutex is marked as poisoned if a panic occurs while
holding the lock, since the protected value may now be in an inconsistent
state.

</details>
54 changes: 54 additions & 0 deletions src/idiomatic/leveraging-the-type-system/raii/mutex.md
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# Mutex and MutexGuard

In earlier examples, RAII was used to manage concrete resources like file
descriptors. With a `Mutex`, the resource is more abstract: exclusive access to
a value.

Rust models this using a `MutexGuard`, which ties access to a critical section
to the lifetime of a value on the stack.

```rust
use std::sync::Mutex;

fn main() {
let m = Mutex::new(vec![1, 2, 3]);

let mut guard = m.lock().unwrap();
guard.push(4);
guard.push(5);
println!("{guard:?}");
}
```

<details>

- A `Mutex` controls exclusive access to a value. Unlike earlier RAII examples,
the resource here is not external but logical: the right to mutate shared
data.

- This right is represented by a `MutexGuard`. Only one can exist at a time.
While it lives, it provides `&mut T` access — enforced using `UnsafeCell`.

- Although `lock()` takes `&self`, it returns a `MutexGuard` with mutable
access. This is possible through interior mutability: a common pattern for
safe shared-state mutation.

- `MutexGuard` implements `Deref` and `DerefMut`, making access ergonomic. You
lock the mutex, use the guard like a `&mut T`, and the lock is released
automatically when the guard goes out of scope.

- The release is handled by `Drop`. There is no need to call a separate unlock
function — this is RAII in action.

## Poisoning

- If a thread panics while holding the lock, the value may be in a corrupt
state.

- To signal this, the standard library uses poisoning. When `Drop` runs during a
panic, the mutex marks itself as poisoned.

- On the next `lock()`, this shows up as an error. The caller must decide
whether to proceed or handle the error differently.

</details>
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