Installation

Install Rustalink from source using the commands for your operating system.

System Setup

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

# System dependencies used in CI builds
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y \
  cmake \
  pkg-config \
  libclang-dev \
  clang \
  git \
  build-essential \
  perl

# Install Rust stable toolchain
curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh -s -- -y
source "$HOME/.cargo/env"

# Build Rustalink
cargo build --release --locked

Optional cross-compile dependencies for Linux ARM64:

sudo apt-get install -y gcc-aarch64-linux-gnu g++-aarch64-linux-gnu
rustup target add aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu
export CARGO_TARGET_AARCH64_UNKNOWN_LINUX_GNU_LINKER=aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc
cargo build --release --locked --target aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu

macOS

# Apple command-line tools
xcode-select --install

# Dependencies used in CI builds
brew install cmake pkg-config

# Install Rust stable toolchain
curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh -s -- -y
source "$HOME/.cargo/env"

# Build Rustalink
cargo build --release --locked

Optional target setup for Apple Silicon / Intel cross-target builds:

rustup target add x86_64-apple-darwin aarch64-apple-darwin

Windows

1. Install required tools

Install dependencies using winget:

winget install --id Git.Git --exact
winget install --id Kitware.CMake --exact
winget install --id Rustlang.Rustup --exact
winget install --id Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.BuildTools --exact

2. Install C++ build tools (required for Rust MSVC)

Rust on Windows uses the MSVC toolchain, which requires the Microsoft C++ compiler and linker (link.exe).

Open Visual Studio Installer from the Start Menu.

Locate Build Tools for Visual Studio 2022.

Click Modify.

Select the workload:

Desktop development with C++

Ensure the following components are checked:

• MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ x64/x86 build tools
• Windows 10/11 SDK

These provide:

• cl.exe (MSVC compiler)
• link.exe (required by Rust)
• Windows headers and libraries

Without these components, builds will fail with:

error: linker `link.exe` not found

3. Fix CMake policy compatibility (CMake 4.x)

Recent versions of CMake 4.x removed compatibility with very old policy versions used by some crates.

Set this environment variable once to avoid build failures from dependencies such as audiopus_sys:

setx CMAKE_POLICY_VERSION_MINIMUM 3.5

Restart your terminal after running this command.

4. Install Rust toolchain

rustup default stable-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc

Verify installation:

rustc --version
cargo --version

5. Build Rustalink

cargo build --release --locked

Optional Windows ARM64 target:

rustup target add aarch64-pc-windows-msvc
cargo build --release --locked --target aarch64-pc-windows-msvc

Next Steps

1. Copy the sample config and adjust values for your environment.
2. Start Rustalink with your preferred runtime method.
3. See Docker and Pterodactyl pages if you prefer containerized deployment.