How to Use std

:process for Spawning Child Processes

Stdlib
2026-04-17T12:05:42+00:00
Spawn child processes in Rust using std::process::Command to execute external programs and capture their output.

Use std::process::Command to spawn a child process, configure its arguments, and call .output() or .spawn() to execute it.

use std::process::Command;

fn main() {
    let output = Command::new("ls")
        .arg("-l")
        .output()
        .expect("Failed to execute command");

    println!("stdout: {}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout));
}
  1. Import the Command struct from std::process.
  2. Create a new command instance with Command::new("program_name").
  3. Add arguments to the command using .arg("argument").
  4. Execute the command and capture the result with .output().
  5. Handle the Result to access stdout, stderr, or the exit status.