The Rust Foundation has recently concluded its December 2025 board meeting, wherein the strategic goals for the period of 2026 to 2028 were approved. The meeting addressed several crucial infrastructure challenges, particularly noting higher-than-expected AWS costs due to <a href="http://crates.io" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">crates.io</a> CloudFront traffic. In engineering progress, the GitLab support for Trusted Publishing has entered public beta, while a request for comments on vulnerability scanning is in its final period.
In preparation for RustConf 2026, planning is proceeding well ahead of schedule, with visa letters, a sponsorship prospectus, and the call for proposals already live. This reflects the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to ensuring accessible and well-managed events for the Rust community. A notable shift in the training program is also evident; priority is being given to the accreditation of existing Rust training providers, foregoing the launch of individual certification courses.
Parallel to the Foundation’s initiatives, the Rust project has published the first draft of its 2026 Project Goals. This marks a transition from a six-month to an annual planning cycle. The draft outlines proposed goals and flagship themes inviting feedback from the community by mid-February. The planning process runs from January through April, with goals requiring team approval, and categorized by the effort involved as small, medium, or large. It is imperative for goals to have an execution owner and team buy-in, which may include funding opportunities for goal champions.
The flagship themes proposed in the draft signify multi-year technical programs that aim to communicate the high-level direction of the project. This strategic planning effort underlines the Rust community’s commitment to growth, sustainability, and innovation, setting a clear path for future development efforts.

Collections

The Rust Foundation approved strategic goals for 2026-2028 at its December board meeting, addressing infrastructure challenges including higher AWS costs for crates.io. GitLab support for Trusted Publishing entered public beta, and RustConf 2026 planning is ahead of schedule. The Rust project published its first draft of 2026 Project Goals, transitioning from six-month to annual planning cycles, with community feedback invited through mid-February. The draft includes flagship themes representing multi-year technical programs to guide the project's direction.

Rust Foundation 2026 Strategic Goals and Project Updates