Session types for Rust

Abstract

We present a library for specifying session types implemented in Rust, and discuss practical use cases through examples and demonstrate how session types may be used in a large-scale application. Specifically we adapt parts of the ad-hoc communication patterns in the Servo browser engine to use session typed channels. Session types provide a protocol abstraction, expanding on traditional typed communication channels, to ensure that communication takes place according to a specified protocol. Thus, the library allows us to provide compile-time guarantees of adherence to a specific protocol without incurring significant run-time penalties.