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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)

---

Expand Down
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`.
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Having both close and drop is fine, but the close impl needs to mem::forget (or destructure) the File object to prevent drop from also running. That's a normal pattern, especially when close potentially wants to report an error, which can't be done with drop.

I think that's a point worth covering in its own slide. We point out that drop can't return any errors, I think it'd be good to talk about that directly in a slide and demonstrate how you can create a function like close that consumes the object and prevent the normal destructor from running redundantly.


- 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.
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I still think this is worth pulling out into its own slide (I previously commented that, idk if it got lost in the shuffle).


### 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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The example on this slide demonstrates using a runtime flag to track if the transaction has been finalized, and then checks that flag to conditionally panic in drop. This is a reasonable approach to take, but it has the drawback of some additional runtime overhead. There's another way to achieve the same thing without any overhead: use mem::forget in commit to directly prevent drop from running.

I'd like to discuss forget somewhere in this section, since it's very relevant when using Drop, especially in cases where you sometimes want to prevent the regular destructor from running. In another comment I suggested splitting out a slide that discusses when drop is and isn't run, discussing forget there might make sense. Otherwise, it wouldn't hurt to have another slide that demonstrates this transaction example using forget instead of the active flag.

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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`].
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Remove this comment, we don't need documentation in the example code and we're already explaining that this will panic on drop. That will help the code example fit on the slide.

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(())
}
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I think we should remove rollback to simplify this example so that it better fits on the slide. It's also mentioned in the slide text and speaker notes, but I'm not gonna leave comments everywhere to cut down on review noise.

}

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();
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Suggested change
let tx = Transaction::start();
if some_condition() {
tx.commit()?;
} else {
tx.rollback()?;
}
// Uncomment to see the panic:
// let tx2 = Transaction::start();
let tx = Transaction::start();
// Use `tx` to build the transaction, then commit it.
// Comment out the call to `commit` to see the panic.
tx.commit()?;

Let's simplify this by removing rollback and tx2. That will help the example fit on the slide better.


Ok(())
}

fn some_condition() -> bool {
// [...]
true
}
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This can also be removed once rollback is removed.

```

<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
}
}
}
```
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I think this deserves its own slide. Having to move out of a field in drop comes up pretty frequently, and this is a common enough pattern that I think it's worth demonstrating explicitly. That can be split out into its own PR if you want.


- [`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.
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Suggested change
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.
A **drop guard** in Rust is a temporary object that performs
some kind of cleanup when it goes out of scope. In the case
of `Mutex`, the `lock` method returns a `MutexGuard` that
automatically unlocks the mutex on drop:

I think more concise wording here would be good to save space for the larger example code on this slide.


```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:?}");
}
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This code example is very verbose, I think it'd be better to simplify this. I think we should remove the atomics and UnsafeCell, and simplify this to a dummy mutex that just locks and unlocks (i.e. doesn't actually wrap any data). I think we can also remove the main function since we already showed what using the mutex looks like on the previous slide. My suggestion would be something like this:

#[derive(Debug)]
struct Mutex {
    is_locked: bool,
}

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

impl Mutex {
    fn new() -> Self {
        Self {
            is_locked: false,
        }
    }

    fn lock(&mut self) -> MutexGuard<'_> {
        self.is_locked = true;
        MutexGuard { mutex: self }
    }
}

impl<'a> Drop for MutexGuard<'a> {
    fn drop(&mut self) {
        self.mutex.is_locked = false;
    }
}

This is obviously not a realistic mutex, but it's far clearer from the perspective of illustrating the drop guard pattern to students. I think it'd be enough to have a speaker note that points out that this is not accurate to how Mutex is actually implemented.

```

<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
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I think we can remove these points about why the example Mutex impl is not accurate, or at least we should move them into a "More to Explore" section to indicate that discussing that is optional. I think talking about how the real Mutex works would distract from the main point about how drop guards work.

state.

</details>
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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.
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Suggested change
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.
In earlier examples, RAII was used to manage concrete resources like file
descriptors. With a `Mutex`, the "resource" is mutable access to a value.
You access the value by calling `lock`, which then returns a `MutexGuard`
which will unlock the `Mutex` automatically when dropped.

A couple suggestions for wording here:

  • I wouldn't say the resource is "abstract", it's just not an external resource the way that a heap allocation or a file handle is.
  • For this slide I think it'd be better to explain the usage of Mutex so that on the next slide we can dig into how MutexGuard works.


```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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