Rust Web Stack Template

A production-minded cargo-generate template for server-rendered Rust web applications. It starts with a working Hello World page while establishing clear boundaries between HTTP handling, HTML presentation, and browser-side enhancement.

Technology stack

Layer	Technology	Purpose
HTTP server	Axum 0.8	Routing, extractors, middleware, typed responses
HTML rendering	Askama 0.16	Compile-time checked, auto-escaped server templates
Navigation	Turbo 8	Drive navigation, Frames, and Streams
Browser behavior	Stimulus 3	Small controllers for browser-only interaction
Frontend language	TypeScript	Strictly typed Stimulus controllers and asset entrypoints
Asset build	Vite	Bundles Turbo, Stimulus, TypeScript, and CSS
Runtime and tasks	mise	Pins Rust, Node.js, and npm and exposes one command surface

The generated application renders its core content on the server. Turbo improves navigation and partial updates, while Stimulus is reserved for transient browser behavior. It does not create a second client-side application or duplicate server state in the browser.

Generate a project

Install cargo-generate and mise, then run the template from the directory that should contain the new project:

cargo install cargo-generate --version 0.23.13 --locked
cd ~/Workspace
cargo generate --path ~/Workspace/rust-web-stack --name my-web-app

After this repository is published, replace the local path with its Git URL:

cd ~/Workspace
cargo generate --git <repository-url> --name my-web-app

cargo-generate converts the project name to kebab-case and creates a new Git repository without overwriting an existing directory.

Start the generated application

cd ~/Workspace/my-web-app
mise trust mise.toml
mise install
mise run setup
mise run check

Run the server and frontend asset watcher in separate terminals:

mise run dev:server

mise run dev:web

Open http://127.0.0.1:3000. The page demonstrates:

• a full HTML document rendered by Axum and Askama;
• a Turbo Frame updated by the /hello endpoint;
• a strictly typed Stimulus controller;
• CSS and TypeScript built by Vite and served by Axum.

Generated project structure

.
├── Cargo.toml
├── mise.toml
├── src/
│   ├── main.rs
│   ├── error.rs
│   └── response.rs
├── templates/
│   ├── layouts/
│   ├── pages/
│   └── fragments/
├── client/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── controllers/
│   │   └── styles/
│   ├── package.json
│   └── vite.config.ts
└── docs/
    ├── axum-askama.md
    └── hotwire.md

The two documents under docs/ define the intended development conventions. Read them before adding routes, templates, Frames, Streams, or Stimulus controllers.

Task reference

Command	Description
mise run setup	Install pinned frontend dependencies
mise run fmt	Check Rust formatting
mise run lint	Run Clippy with warnings denied
mise run test:rust	Run Rust tests
mise run test:web	Type-check and build frontend assets
mise run check	Run the complete verification suite
mise run dev:server	Start the Axum server
mise run dev:web	Watch TypeScript and CSS assets

Template authoring notes

cargo-generate uses Liquid syntax, while Askama also uses {{ ... }} and {% ... %}. To keep the two template languages isolated, cargo-generate.toml uses an explicit include list. Only Cargo, mise, and npm metadata files are processed by Liquid; Askama templates and documentation are copied byte-for-byte.

Keep documentation filenames stable and update them in place. Preserve typed Rust errors at boundaries, and do not make business, retry, or backoff decisions by comparing raw error strings.