Faster linking times with 1.90.0 stable on Linux using the LLD linker
8 days ago
- #rust
- #compiler
- #performance
- rustc will use the LLD linker by default on x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu starting with stable release 1.90.0 (2025-09-18).
- Using LLD significantly reduces linking times, e.g., 7x faster incremental linking in ripgrep builds.
- Rust already ships with rust-lld for wasm and aarch64 targets, and testing on nightly showed no major issues.
- Performance benefits include up to 40% faster incremental builds and 20% faster from-scratch debug builds.
- Potential drawbacks include rare compatibility issues, which can be reverted with `-C linker-features=-lld`.
- Users are encouraged to test projects on beta and report issues before the stable release.