C++/Rust Interop Problem Space Mapping

[nikomatsakis]

Metadata
Point of contact	@teor2345
Team(s)	compiler, lang, libs-api, opsem
Goal document	2026/interop-problem-map

Summary

Document a set of technical issues related to C++/Rust interoperability with broad community consensus to serve as a starting point for proposed solutions and facilitating cooperation among stakeholders in both language communities.

Tasks and status

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Note: we have updated the body to match the 2026 goal. Your original text is preserved below.

Details

Metadata
Point of contact	@teor2345
Team(s)	compiler, lang, libs, opsem
Goal document	2025h2/interop-problem-map

Summary

Document a set of technical issues related to C++/Rust interoperability with broad community consensus to serve as a starting point for proposed solutions and facilitating cooperation among stakeholders in both language communities.

Tasks and status

• Author problem statements (@teor2345 )
• Standard reviews (lang, compiler, libs, opsem )

[nikomatsakis]

This issue is intended for status updates only.

For general questions or comments, please contact the owner(s) directly.

[baumanj]

Key developments: What has happened since the last time. It's perfectly ok to list "nothing" if that's the truth, we know people get busy.

Nothing! This is the first update and I have yet to focus attention on the project goal. For context, I am employed by the Rust Foundation leading the C++ Interoperability initiative and so far have been executing against the strategy detailed in the problem statement. Owing to greater than anticipated success and deadlines related to WG21 meetings, I've been focusing on the Social Interoperability strategy recently. I have just reached a point where I can turn more attention to the other strategies and so expect to make progress on this goal soon.

Blockers: List any Rust teams you are waiting on and what you are waiting for.

None; I'm getting excellent support from the Project in everything I'm doing. My successes thus far would not have been possible without them, and there are too many to enumerate in this space. There will be a blog post coming soon detailing the past year of work in the initiative where I intend to go into detail. Watch this space for updates.

Help wanted: Are there places where you are looking for contribution or feedback from the broader community?

I am always interested in contribution and feedback. If you're interested, please reach out via interop@rustfoundation.org or t-lang/interop.

[JoelMarcey]

The Rust Foundation is opening up a short-term, approximately 3-month, contracting role to assist in our Rust/C++ Interop initiative. The primary work and deliverables for the role will be to make substantial progress on the Problem Space Mapping Rust Project Goal by collecting discrete problem statements and offering up recommendations on the work that should follow based upon the problems that you found.



If you are interested in how programming languages interoperate, are curious in understanding the problems therein, and are have a passion to think about how those problems may be resolved for the betterment of interop, then this work may be for you.

An ideal candidate will have experience with Rust programming. Having experience in C++ is strongly preferred as well. If you have direct experience with actual engineering that required interoperating between Rust and C++ codebases, that's even better.



If you are interested, please email me (email address found in my GitHub profile) or contact me directly on Zulip by Tuesday, January 27 and we can take it from there to see if there may be a potential fit for further discussion.

Thank you.