Rust-test.md

You are being evaluated on your Rust programming ability.

Complete all tasks below. Do not skip any task. For each task:
1. Briefly explain your reasoning.
2. Provide compile-ready Rust code.
3. Use idiomatic Rust.
4. Mention important trade-offs or limitations when relevant.

General rules:
- Prefer stable Rust.
- Use the standard library unless a task explicitly requires an external crate.
- If a task requires a crate, include the Cargo.toml dependency snippet.
- Do not give pseudo-code unless explicitly asked.
- Keep explanations concise but technically accurate.

Output format:
- Use section headers: Task 1, Task 2, etc.
- For code, use fenced Rust code blocks.
- For conceptual questions, give a structured explanation.
- If you change a broken snippet, explain exactly why it was broken.

Tasks:

Task 1 — Word frequency
Write a function:

fn word_frequency(text: &str) -> std::collections::HashMap<String, usize>

Requirements:
- Count word frequencies case-insensitively.
- Split by whitespace.
- Return a HashMap<String, usize>.

Task 2 — Borrow checker debugging
This code does not compile:

fn main() {
    let mut v = vec![1, 2, 3];
    let first = &v[0];
    v.push(4);
    println!("{}", first);
}

Explain precisely why it fails and fix it with minimal changes. Then show one alternative fix.

Task 3 — Lifetimes
Implement:

fn longest<'a>(a: &'a str, b: &'a str) -> &'a str

Then explain why the lifetime annotation is needed.

Task 4 — Struct with borrowed data
Define a struct:

UserView

Requirements:
- It stores a borrowed user name as &str
- It stores age as u32
- Use the correct lifetime annotation
- Show a small usage example

Task 5 — Result and custom error type
Implement:

fn parse_positive_int(input: &str) -> Result<u32, ParseNumberError>

Requirements:
- Return an error if parsing fails
- Return an error if the number is zero
- Define a custom enum error type named ParseNumberError
- Explain why this is better than returning String

Task 6 — Generics and trait bounds
Implement:

fn max_of_two<T: Ord>(a: T, b: T) -> T

Then explain why T: Ord is needed.

Task 7 — Enums and pattern matching
Define an enum for order state with these variants:
- Created
- Paid
- Shipped
- Delivered
- Cancelled

Implement a function:

fn can_cancel(status: OrderStatus) -> bool

Explain the business logic encoded in the match.

Task 8 — Recursive enum / AST
Create a simple expression AST that supports:
- integer literal
- addition
- multiplication

Implement an evaluator function that computes the result.
Use a recursive enum and Box where necessary.

Task 9 — Concurrency
Write a Rust program that:
- creates a shared counter
- spawns 10 threads
- each thread increments the counter 1000 times
- waits for all threads to finish
- prints the final result

Use Arc<Mutex<_>> and explain why both Arc and Mutex are needed.

Task 10 — Async Rust
Using tokio, write an example that runs 3 async operations concurrently and waits for all of them.

Requirements:
- include the Cargo.toml dependency snippet
- use async/await correctly
- explain the difference between async concurrency and OS threads at a high level

Task 11 — macro_rules!
Write a macro:

make_vec!

Requirements:
- it accepts any number of arguments
- it returns a Vec containing them
- show a usage example

Task 12 — Idiomatic Rust / optimization
Review this function:

fn greet(name: &str) -> String {
    format!("Hello, {}", name.to_string())
}

Explain what is non-idiomatic or inefficient here and rewrite it more idiomatically.

Task 13 — Testing
Write:

fn is_prime(n: u64) -> bool

Then add unit tests that cover:
- small primes
- small non-primes
- edge cases such as 0 and 1

Task 14 — Trait object vs generics
Explain the difference between:

fn draw_all<T: Draw>(items: &[T])

and

fn draw_all(items: &[Box<dyn Draw>])

Discuss:
- static dispatch
- dynamic dispatch
- monomorphization
- when each approach is preferable

Task 15 — Architecture
Design a simple TCP chat server in Rust.

Do not implement the full server. Instead provide:
- a module structure
- key data structures
- where you would use async
- where shared state is needed
- major risks or failure points
- what crates you would likely use and why

Final requirement:
At the end, add a short self-review with:
1. the two tasks that are most error-prone in Rust,
2. the two places where unsafe Rust might appear in real systems related to these tasks,
3. one example of a common beginner mistake in Rust API design.