---
title: "Claude Code Rust Actix Web"
description: "Configures Claude Code for Rust web development with Actix Web, async programming, and database integration."
category: "configuration"
tags: ["claude-code", "rust", "actix-web", "async", "memory-safety", "performance", "web-development"]
tech_stack: ["rust", "actix-web", "tokio", "sqlx", "serde", "diesel", "cargo"]
---

This guide helps you set up Claude Code for Rust web development using the Actix Web framework. We'll focus on async programming and integrating with a database.

### Configuration Overview
This setup creates a solid environment for building high-performance web applications in Rust. You’ll use Actix Web for the server-side logic and SQLx for database interactions.

### Prerequisites
Before you start, make sure you have the following installed:
- **Rust**: You need Rust version 1.56 or newer.
- **Cargo**: This comes with Rust and helps manage packages.
- **Claude Code**: Your IDE should be installed and set up.
- **PostgreSQL**: This is the database server for SQLx integration.

### Installation & Setup
Let’s walk through the installation and setup process step by step.

1. **Install Rust**: Open your terminal and run:
   ```bash
   curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
   ```
2. **Create a new Rust project**: In your terminal, type:
   ```bash
   cargo new my_actix_app
   cd my_actix_app
   ```
3. **Add dependencies**: Update your `Cargo.toml` file with these lines:
   ```toml
   [dependencies]
   actix-web = "4.0"
   tokio = { version = "1", features = ["full"] }
   sqlx = { version = "0.5", features = ["runtime-tokio-rustls", "postgres"] }
   serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] }
   diesel = { version = "1.4", features = ["postgres"] }
   ```
4. **Create a basic Actix Web server**: Open `src/main.rs` and add the following code:
   ```rust
   use actix_web::{web, App, HttpServer, Responder};

   async fn greet() -> impl Responder {
       "Hello, Actix Web!"
   }

   #[actix_web::main]
   async fn main() -> std::io::Result<()> {
       HttpServer::new(|| {
           App::new().route("/", web::get().to(greet))
       })
       .bind("127.0.0.1:8080")?
       .run()
       .await
   }
   ```
5. **Run the application**: Back in your terminal, type:
   ```bash
   cargo run
   ```

### File Structure
Here’s how your project directory should look:
```
my_actix_app/
├── Cargo.toml
├── src/
│   ├── main.rs
│   └── lib.rs (optional for modular code)
└── migrations/ (for database migrations)
```

### Key Configuration Files
- **`Cargo.toml`**: This file defines your project dependencies and metadata.
- **`src/main.rs`**: This is the entry point for your Actix Web application.

### Advanced Options
Want to take it a step further? Here are some advanced options:
- **Enable logging**: Add `env_logger` to your `Cargo.toml`:
  ```toml
  env_logger = "0.9"
  ```
  Then, initialize it in `main.rs`:
  ```rust
  env_logger::init();
  ```
- **Database connection pooling**: Use SQLx's connection pool for more efficient database access.

### Troubleshooting
If you run into issues, here’s how to solve some common problems:
- **Error: "Could not find crate `actix-web`"**: Check that you’ve added dependencies correctly in `Cargo.toml` and try running `cargo build`.
- **Database connection issues**: Make sure PostgreSQL is running and your connection settings in the code are accurate.

### Best Practices
Here are some tips to keep your project organized and secure:
- **Use environment variables**: Store sensitive information like database URLs in environment variables instead of hardcoding them.
- **Modularize code**: Break functionality into separate modules for better organization and easier maintenance.

### Performance Tuning
To get the most out of your application, consider these performance tips:
- **Optimize database queries**: Use SQLx's query builder for efficient SQL generation.
- **Enable HTTP/2**: Think about using `actix-web-http2` to enhance performance in production.

### Workflow Optimization Tips
Finally, here are some workflow tips to improve your development experience:
- **Hot reloading**: Use `cargo watch` to automatically rebuild and run your application whenever you make changes:
  ```bash
  cargo watch -x run
  ```
- **Testing**: Write unit tests for your handlers with Actix's test utilities to ensure everything runs smoothly.