Getting Started: Rust

Applies to

Windows

MacOS

Linux

Get started with our official cross-platform Rust Crate.

1. Add Velopack to your Cargo.toml:

   [dependencies]
   velopack = { version = "0.0", features = ["async"] } 
   # Replace above with actual version and desired features

2. Add the following code to your main() function:

   use velopack::*;
   fn main() {
       // VelopackApp should be the first thing to run.
       // In some circumstances it may terminate/restart 
       // the process during update/install.
       VelopackApp::build().run();
       
       // ... your other app startup code here
   }

3. Add auto-updates somewhere to your app:

   use velopack::*;
   use anyhow::Result;
   
   fn update_my_app() -> Result<()> {
       let um = UpdateManager::new("https://the.place/you-host/updates", None)?;
   
       // check for updates
       let updates: Option<UpdateInfo> = um.check_for_updates()?;
       if updates.is_none() {
           return Ok(()); // no updates available
       }
   
       // download updates
       let updates = updates.unwrap();
       um.download_updates(&updates, |progress| { 
           println!("Download progress: {}%", progress);
       })?;
   
       // apply updates
       um.apply_updates_and_restart(&updates, RestartArgs::None)?;
       Ok(())
   }

4. Build your app with cargo:

   cargo build --release

5. Install the vpk command line tool:

   dotnet tool update -g vpk
   tip

   You must have the .NET Core SDK 6 installed to use and update vpk

6. Package your Velopack release / installers:

   vpk pack -u MyAppUniqueId -v 1.0.0 -p /target/release -e myexename.exe

✅ You're Done! Your app now has auto-updates and an installer. You can upload your release to your website, or use the vpk upload command to publish it to the destination of your choice.