Canonical has taken a step that many are calling historic: Ubuntu 25.10 will replace the traditional GNU Coreutils with its Rust-based equivalent (uutils). This is one of the most ambitious transitions in the recent history of the operating system, as Coreutils includes essential tools like ls, cp, rm, and cat, on which the entire Linux ecosystem depends.
Advantages of Switching to Rust
The main argument behind this transition is security and robustness provided by Rust compared to C, the language in which the original Coreutils were written.
- Memory safety: Rust prevents errors such as buffer overflows or dangling pointers from the outset, which are common in C and lead to critical vulnerabilities.
- More reliable concurrency: its ownership and borrowing model allows managing parallel processes while reducing race condition risks.
- Long-term maintenance: Canonical aims to solidify this foundation in Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, which will be in production for a decade in servers and corporate environments.
- System modernization: adopting Rust in core components opens the door for other parts of the Linux ecosystem to migrate toward safer languages.
Practically speaking, users will hardly notice any changes: commands will behave the same. But internally, the benefit is having a more resilient layer of tools against failures and attacks.
Criticism and Doubts Within the Linux Community
Not everyone is convinced. Part of the Linux community has expressed scepticism regarding this change:
- Compatibility: concerns about potential subtle differences in command behavior that might break old scripts.
- Performance: some developers fear that reimplementing in Rust could introduce overheads compared to decades-optimized C code.
- Free software philosophy: some argue that the ecosystem should evolve more cautiously and keep GNU Coreutils as the standard reference.
- Build overhead: Rust requires heavier toolchains, which could complicate builds in minimal environments.
Proponents of the project argue that these concerns will be addressed through testing, and that version 25.10 will serve as a testing ground before consolidating the transition in the upcoming LTS.
Path Toward Ubuntu 26.04 LTS
Canonical views Ubuntu 25.10 as a large-scale laboratory: testing with sudo-rs and now with Rust Coreutils will gather feedback from developers and users. The ultimate goal is to deliver a more secure, modern, and reliable foundation in Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, scheduled for release in April 2026.
Conclusion
The transition from GNU Coreutils to Rust Coreutils in Ubuntu 25.10 marks a turning point in the history of the operating system. For some, it’s a bold move to modernize Linux infrastructure with a safer language; for others, an unnecessary break from decades of stability in C.
What’s clear is that Ubuntu continues to lead the debate on the future of Linux, paving a path that other distributions might follow — or reject — in the coming years.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What changes for Ubuntu users?
Nothing outwardly: commands will work the same. The change is internal, with improvements in security and reliability.
2. Why is Canonical choosing Rust for Coreutils?
Because of its guarantees of memory safety and concurrency, which reduce common vulnerabilities found in C.
3. What risks are associated with this change?
Compatibility with old scripts, possible differences in behavior, and performance questions compared to GNU Coreutils.
4. Will Rust Coreutils become standard across all Linux?
Not necessarily. Ubuntu is pioneering this transition, but its adoption will depend on community feedback and how other distributions evaluate the results.