## Unsafe Rust

In all of the previous chapters in this book, we’ve been discussing code
written in Rust that has memory safety guarantees enforced at compile time.
However, Rust has a second language hiding out inside of it, unsafe Rust, which
does not enforce these memory safety guarantees. Unsafe Rust works just like
regular Rust does, but it gives you extra superpowers not available in safe
Rust code.

Unsafe Rust exists because, by nature, static analysis is conservative. When
trying to determine if code upholds some guarantees or not, it’s better to
reject some programs that are valid than it is to accept some programs that are
invalid. There are some times when your code might be okay, but Rust thinks
it’s not! In these cases, you can use unsafe code to tell the compiler, “trust
me, I know what I’m doing.” The downside is that you’re on your own; if you get
unsafe code wrong, problems due to memory unsafety like null pointer
dereferencing can occur.

There’s another reason that Rust needs to have unsafe code: the underlying
hardware of computers is inherently not safe. If Rust didn’t let you do unsafe
operations, there would be some tasks that you simply could not do. But Rust
needs to be able to let you do low-level systems programming like directly
interacting with your operating system, or even writing your own operating
system! That’s part of the goals of the language. We need some way to do these
kinds of things.

### Unsafe Superpowers

We switch into unsafe Rust by using the `unsafe` keyword and starting a new
block that holds the unsafe code. There are four actions that you can take in
unsafe Rust that you can’t in safe Rust. We call these the “unsafe
superpowers.” We haven’t seen most of these features yet since they’re only
usable with `unsafe`!

1. Dereferencing a raw pointer
2. Calling an unsafe function or method
3. Accessing or modifying a mutable static variable
4. Implementing an unsafe trait

It’s important to understand that `unsafe` doesn’t turn off the borrow checker
or disable any other of Rust’s safety checks: if you use a reference in unsafe
code, it will still be checked. The only thing the `unsafe` keyword does is
give you access to these four features that aren’t checked by the compiler for
memory safety. You still get some degree of safety inside of an unsafe block!
Furthermore, `unsafe` does not mean the code inside the block is dangerous or
definitely will have memory safety problems: the intent is that you as the
programmer will ensure that the code inside an `unsafe` block will have valid
memory, since you’ve turned off the compiler checks.

People are fallible, however, and mistakes will happen. By requiring these four
unsafe operations to be inside blocks annotated with `unsafe`, if you make a
mistake and get an error related to memory safety, you’ll know that it has to
be related to one of the places that you opted into this unsafety. That makes
the cause of memory safety bugs much easier to find, since we know Rust is
checking all of the other code for us. To get this benefit of only having a few
places to investigate memory safety bugs, it’s important to contain your unsafe
code to as small of an area as possible. Any code inside of an `unsafe` block
is suspect when debugging a memory problem: keep `unsafe` blocks small and
you’ll thank yourself later since you’ll have less code to investigate.

In order to isolate unsafe code as much as possible, it’s a good idea to
enclose unsafe code within a safe abstraction and provide a safe API, which
we’ll be discussing once we get into unsafe functions and methods. Parts of the
standard library are implemented as safe abstractions over unsafe code that has
been audited. This prevents uses of `unsafe` from leaking out into all the
places that you or your users might want to make use of the functionality
implemented with `unsafe` code, since using a safe abstraction is safe.

Let’s talk about each of the four unsafe superpowers in turn, and along the way
we’ll look at some abstractions that provide a safe interface to unsafe code.

### Dereferencing a Raw Pointer

Way back in Chapter 4, we first learned about references. We also learned that
the compiler ensures that references are always valid. Unsafe Rust has two new
types similar to references called *raw pointers*. Just like references, we can
have an immutable raw pointer and a mutable raw pointer, written as `*const T`
and `*mut T`, respectively. In the context of raw pointers, “immutable” means
that the pointer can’t be directly assigned to after being dereferenced.

Raw pointers are different than references and smart pointers in a few ways.
Raw pointers:

- Are allowed to ignore the borrowing rules and have both immutable and a
  mutable pointer or multiple mutable pointers to the same location
- Aren’t guaranteed to point to valid memory
- Are allowed to be null
- Don’t implement any automatic clean-up

Listing 19-1 shows how to create raw pointers from references:

```rust
let mut num = 5;

let r1 = &num as *const i32;
let r2 = &mut num as *mut i32;
```

Listing 19-1: Creating raw pointers from references

The `*const T` type is an immutable raw pointer, and `*mut T` is a mutable raw
pointer. We’ve created raw pointers by using `as` to cast an immutable and a
mutable reference into their corresponding raw pointer types. These particular
raw pointers will be valid since we created them directly from references that
are guaranteed to be valid, but we can’t make that assumption about any raw
pointer.

Listing 19-2 shows how to create a raw pointer to an arbitrary location in
memory. Trying to use arbitrary memory is undefined: there may be data at that
address, there may not be any data at that address, the compiler might optimize
the code so that there is no memory access, or your program might segfault.
There’s not usually a good reason to be writing code like this, but it is
possible:

```rust
let address = 0x012345usize;
let r = address as *const i32;
```

Listing 19-2: Creating a raw pointer to an arbitrary
memory address

Note there’s no `unsafe` block in either Listing 19-1 or 19-2. You can *create*
raw pointers in safe code, but you can’t *dereference* raw pointers and read
the data being pointed to. Using the dereference operator, `*`, on a raw
pointer requires an `unsafe` block, as shown in Listing 19-3:

```rust
let mut num = 5;

let r1 = &num as *const i32;
let r2 = &mut num as *mut i32;

unsafe {
    println!("r1 is: {}", *r1);
    println!("r2 is: {}", *r2);
}
```

Listing 19-3: Dereferencing raw pointers within an
`unsafe` block

Creating a pointer can’t do any harm; it’s only when accessing the value that
it points at that you might end up dealing with an invalid value.

Note also that in Listing 19-1 and 19-3 we created a `*const i32` and a `*mut
i32` that both pointed to the same memory location, that of `num`. If we had
tried to create an immutable and a mutable reference to `num` instead of raw
pointers, this would not have compiled due to the rule that says we can’t have
a mutable reference at the same time as any immutable references. With raw
pointers, we are able to create a mutable pointer and an immutable pointer to
the same location, and change data through the mutable pointer, potentially
creating a data race. Be careful!

With all of these dangers, why would we ever use raw pointers? One major use
case is interfacing with C code, as we’ll see in the next section on unsafe
functions. Another case is to build up safe abstractions that the borrow
checker doesn’t understand. Let’s introduce unsafe functions then look at an
example of a safe abstraction that uses unsafe code.

### Calling an Unsafe Function or Method

The second operation that requires an unsafe block is calling an unsafe
function. Unsafe functions and methods look exactly like regular functions and
methods, but they have an extra `unsafe` out front. Bodies of unsafe functions
are effectively `unsafe` blocks. Here’s an unsafe function named `dangerous`:

```rust
unsafe fn dangerous() {}

unsafe {
    dangerous();
}
```

If we try to call `dangerous` without the `unsafe` block, we’ll get an error:

```text
error[E0133]: call to unsafe function requires unsafe function or block
 --> <anon>:4:5
  |
4 |     dangerous();
  |     ^^^^^^^^^^^ call to unsafe function
```

By inserting the `unsafe` block around our call to `dangerous`, we’re asserting
to Rust that we’ve read the documentation for this function, we understand how
to use it properly, and we’ve verified that everything is correct.

#### Creating a Safe Abstraction Over Unsafe Code

As an example, let’s check out some functionality from the standard library,
`split_at_mut`, and explore how we might implement it ourselves. This safe
method is defined on mutable slices, and it takes one slice and makes it into
two by splitting the slice at the index given as an argument, as demonstrated
in Listing 19-4:

```rust
let mut v = vec![1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6];

let r = &mut v[..];

let (a, b) = r.split_at_mut(3);

assert_eq!(a, &mut [1, 2, 3]);
assert_eq!(b, &mut [4, 5, 6]);
```

Listing 19-4: Using the safe `split_at_mut`
function

This function can’t be implemented using only safe Rust. An attempt might look
like Listing 19-5. For simplicity, we’re implementing `split_at_mut` as a
function rather than a method, and only for slices of `i32` values rather than
for a generic type `T`:

```rust,ignore
fn split_at_mut(slice: &mut [i32], mid: usize) -> (&mut [i32], &mut [i32]) {
    let len = slice.len();

    assert!(mid <= len);

    (&mut slice[..mid],
     &mut slice[mid..])
}
```

Listing 19-5: An attempted implementation of
`split_at_mut` using only safe Rust

This function first gets the total length of the slice, then asserts that the
index given as a parameter is within the slice by checking that the parameter
is less than or equal to the length. The assertion means that if we pass an
index that’s greater than the length of the slice to split at, the function
will panic before it attempts to use that index.

Then we return two mutable slices in a tuple: one from the start of the initial
slice to the `mid` index, and another from `mid` to the end of the slice.

If we try to compile this, we’ll get an error:

```text
error[E0499]: cannot borrow `*slice` as mutable more than once at a time
 --> <anon>:6:11
  |
5 |     (&mut slice[..mid],
  |           ----- first mutable borrow occurs here
6 |      &mut slice[mid..])
  |           ^^^^^ second mutable borrow occurs here
7 | }
  | - first borrow ends here
```

Rust’s borrow checker can’t understand that we’re borrowing different parts of
the slice; it only knows that we’re borrowing from the same slice twice.
Borrowing different parts of a slice is fundamentally okay; our two `&mut
[i32]` slices aren’t overlapping. However, Rust isn’t smart enough to know
this. When we know something is okay, but Rust doesn’t, it’s time to reach for
unsafe code.

Listing 19-6 shows how to use an `unsafe` block, a raw pointer, and some calls
to unsafe functions to make the implementation of `split_at_mut` work:

```rust
use std::slice;

fn split_at_mut(slice: &mut [i32], mid: usize) -> (&mut [i32], &mut [i32]) {
    let len = slice.len();
    let ptr = slice.as_mut_ptr();

    assert!(mid <= len);

    unsafe {
        (slice::from_raw_parts_mut(ptr, mid),
         slice::from_raw_parts_mut(ptr.offset(mid as isize), len - mid))
    }
}
```

Listing 19-6: Using unsafe code in the implementation of
the `split_at_mut` function

Recall from Chapter 4 that slices are a pointer to some data and the length of
the slice. We’ve often used the `len` method to get the length of a slice; we
can use the `as_mut_ptr` method to get access to the raw pointer of a slice. In
this case, since we have a mutable slice to `i32` values, `as_mut_ptr` returns
a raw pointer with the type `*mut i32`, which we’ve stored in the variable
`ptr`.

The assertion that the `mid` index is within the slice stays the same. Then,
the `slice::from_raw_parts_mut` function does the reverse from the `as_mut_ptr`
and `len` methods: it takes a raw pointer and a length and creates a slice. We
call `slice::from_raw_parts_mut` to create a slice that starts from `ptr` and is
`mid` items long. Then we call the `offset` method on `ptr` with `mid` as an
argument to get a raw pointer that starts at `mid`, and we create a slice using
that pointer and the remaining number of items after `mid` as the length.

Because slices are checked, they’re safe to use once we’ve created them. The
function `slice::from_raw_parts_mut` is an unsafe function because it takes a
raw pointer and trusts that this pointer is valid. The `offset` method on raw
pointers is also unsafe, since it trusts that the location some offset after a
raw pointer is also a valid pointer. We’ve put an `unsafe` block around our
calls to `slice::from_raw_parts_mut` and `offset` to be allowed to call them,
and we can tell by looking at the code and by adding the assertion that `mid`
must be less than or equal to `len` that all the raw pointers used within the
`unsafe` block will be valid pointers to data within the slice. This is an
acceptable and appropriate use of `unsafe`.

Note that the resulting `split_at_mut` function is safe: we didn’t have to add
the `unsafe` keyword in front of it, and we can call this function from safe
Rust. We’ve created a safe abstraction to the unsafe code by writing an
implementation of the function that uses `unsafe` code in a safe way by only
creating valid pointers from the data this function has access to.

In contrast, the use of `slice::from_raw_parts_mut` in Listing 19-7 would
likely crash when the slice is used. This code takes an arbitrary memory
location and creates a slice ten thousand items long:

```rust
use std::slice;

let address = 0x012345usize;
let r = address as *mut i32;

let slice = unsafe {
    slice::from_raw_parts_mut(r, 10000)
};
```

Listing 19-7: Creating a slice from an arbitrary memory
location

We don’t own the memory at this arbitrary location, and there’s no guarantee
that the slice this code creates contains valid `i32` values. Attempting to use
`slice` as if it was a valid slice would be undefined behavior.

#### `extern`  Functions for Calling External Code are Unsafe

Sometimes, your Rust code may need to interact with code written in another
language. To do this, Rust has a keyword, `extern`, that facilitates creating
and using a *Foreign Function Interface* (FFI). Listing 19-8 demonstrates how
to set up an integration with the `abs` function defined in the C standard
library. Functions declared within `extern` blocks are always unsafe to call
from Rust code:

Filename: src/main.rs

```rust
extern "C" {
    fn abs(input: i32) -> i32;
}

fn main() {
    unsafe {
        println!("Absolute value of -3 according to C: {}", abs(-3));
    }
}
```

Listing 19-8: Declaring and calling an `extern` function
defined in another language

Within the `extern "C"` block, we list the names and signatures of functions
defined in a library written in another language that we want to be able to
call.`"C"` defines which *application binary interface* (ABI) the external
function uses. The ABI defines how to call the function at the assembly level.
The `"C"` ABI is the most common, and follows the C programming language’s ABI.

Calling an external function is always unsafe. If we’re calling into some other
language, that language does not enforce Rust’s safety guarantees. Since Rust
can’t check that the external code is safe, we are responsible for checking the
safety of the external code and indicating we have done so by using an `unsafe`
block to call external functions.



##### Calling Rust Functions from Other Languages

The `extern` keyword is also used for creating an interface that allows other
languages to call Rust functions. Instead of an `extern` block, we can add the
`extern` keyword and specifying the ABI to use just before the `fn` keyword. We
also add the `#[no_mangle]` annotation to tell the Rust compiler not to mangle
the name of this function. The `call_from_c` function in this example would be
accessible from C code, once we’ve compiled to a shared library and linked from
C:

```rust
#[no_mangle]
pub extern "C" fn call_from_c() {
    println!("Just called a Rust function from C!");
}
```

This usage of `extern` does not require `unsafe`

### Accessing or Modifying a Mutable Static Variable

We’ve gone this entire book without talking about *global variables*. Many
programming languages support them, and so does Rust. However, global variables
can be problematic: for example, if you have two threads accessing the same
mutable global variable, a data race can happen.

Global variables are called *static* in Rust. Listing 19-9 shows an example
declaration and use of a static variable with a string slice as a value:

Filename: src/main.rs

```rust
static HELLO_WORLD: &str = "Hello, world!";

fn main() {
    println!("name is: {}", HELLO_WORLD);
}
```

Listing 19-9: Defining and using an immutable static
variable

`static` variables are similar to constants: their names are also in
`SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE` by convention, and we *must* annotate the variable’s
type, which is `&'static str` in this case. Only references with the `'static`
lifetime may be stored in a static variable. Because of this, the Rust compiler
can figure out the lifetime by itself and we don’t need to annotate it
explicitly.

Accessing immutable static variables is safe. Values in a static variable have a
fixed address in memory, and using the value will always access the same data.
Constants, on the other hand, are allowed to duplicate their data whenever they
are used.

Another way in which static variables are different from constants is that
static variables can be mutable. Both accessing and modifying mutable static
variables is unsafe. Listing 19-10 shows how to declare, access, and modify a
mutable static variable named `COUNTER`:

Filename: src/main.rs

```rust
static mut COUNTER: u32 = 0;

fn add_to_count(inc: u32) {
    unsafe {
        COUNTER += inc;
    }
}

fn main() {
    add_to_count(3);

    unsafe {
        println!("COUNTER: {}", COUNTER);
    }
}
```

Listing 19-10: Reading from or writing to a mutable
static variable is unsafe

Just like with regular variables, we specify that a static variable should be
mutable using the `mut` keyword. Any time that we read or write from `COUNTER`
has to be within an `unsafe` block. This code compiles and prints `COUNTER: 3`
as we would expect since it’s single threaded, but having multiple threads
accessing `COUNTER` would likely result in data races.

Mutable data that is globally accessible is difficult to manage and ensure that
there are no data races, which is why Rust considers mutable static variables
to be unsafe. If possible, prefer using the concurrency techniques and
threadsafe smart pointers we discussed in Chapter 16 to have the compiler check
that data accessed from different threads is done safely.

### Implementing an Unsafe Trait

Finally, the last action we’re only allowed to take when we use the `unsafe`
keyword is implementing an unsafe trait. We can declare that a trait is
`unsafe` by adding the `unsafe` keyword before `trait`, and then implementing
the trait must be marked as `unsafe` too, as shown in Listing 19-11:

```rust
unsafe trait Foo {
    // methods go here
}

unsafe impl Foo for i32 {
    // method implementations go here
}
```

Listing 19-11: Defining and implementing an unsafe
trait

Like unsafe functions, methods in an unsafe trait have some invariant that the
compiler cannot verify. By using `unsafe impl`, we’re promising that we’ll
uphold these invariants.

As an example, recall the `Sync` and `Send` marker traits from Chapter 16, and
that the compiler implements these automatically if our types are composed
entirely of `Send` and `Sync` types. If we implement a type that contains
something that’s not `Send` or `Sync` such as raw pointers, and we want to mark
our type as `Send` or `Sync`, that requires using `unsafe`. Rust can’t verify
that our type upholds the guarantees that a type can be safely sent across
threads or accessed from multiple threads, so we need to do those checks
ourselves and indicate as such with `unsafe`.

Using `unsafe` to take one of these four actions isn’t wrong or frowned upon,
but it is trickier to get `unsafe` code correct since the compiler isn’t able
to help uphold memory safety. When you have a reason to use `unsafe` code,
however, it’s possible to do so, and having the explicit `unsafe` annotation
makes it easier to track down the source of problems if they occur.
