How to fix Rust E0515 cannot return reference to local variable

Fix E0515 by returning an owned value (like a String) or a reference with a lifetime tied to an input argument, rather than a reference to a local variable.

fn get_data() -> String {
    let local = String::from("hello");
    local // Return the owned value, not &local
}

fn get_slice(input: &str) -> &str {
    input // Return a reference tied to the input lifetime
}

The Rust E0515 error happens when you try to give back a reference to data that disappears the moment your function finishes. Think of it like trying to hand someone a photo of a drawing you just erased; the drawing is gone, so the photo is useless. You must either give them the actual drawing (return the data itself) or a photo of something that still exists (return a reference to input data).