GoKawiilmold linker 3.0.0 ships, now fully rewritten in Rust
The mold high-speed linker project has released version 3.0.0, its first version built entirely in Rust after being ported from C++. Version 2.42.1 remains the final C++ release, and the new version is designed as a drop-in replacement, accepting the same command-line options and producing equivalent output while matching prior linking performance.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The developers say the rewrite aims to close remaining compatibility gaps with GNU ld, particularly around linker scripts, which could help mold become a viable default linker for Linux distributions. The switch to Rust also replaces unchecked memory access with bounds-checked reads, meaning malformed input now triggers a controlled panic instead of a potential segmentation fault, which may improve robustness for build systems relying on it.
- mold 3.0.0 is the first release built entirely in Rust, replacing the C++ codebase ending at 2.42.1
- The new version targets full compatibility with GNU ld's linker scripts to support adoption as a default distro linker
- Builds now require Cargo and Rust 1.95+, replacing CMake, and mold no longer depends on oneTBB
Source: github.com, 2026-10-05
Published there as: “Mold Linker Version 3.0.0 Release – Rewritten in Rust”
Read the original report → The summary and analysis above are GoKawiil's own, written from reporting by the source above. Facts and quotes belong to the original publisher.