EVOC2RUST: A Skeleton-guided Framework for Project-Level C-to-Rust Translation

Summary

This paper talks about EvoC2Rust, a system that automatically converts entire projects written in the C programming language into Rust programs. It uses a combination of rule-based techniques and large language models, guided by a skeleton structure, to improve the translation’s accuracy and safety.

What's the problem?

The problem is that translating C code to Rust manually is very time-consuming and difficult because the two languages have different ways of handling memory, syntax, and safety. Automatic translation tools often struggle with keeping the code correct, safe, and easy to understand.

What's the solution?

The solution was to create EvoC2Rust, which breaks down the C project into a skeleton framework and uses both rules and AI models to handle different parts of the translation. This approach ensures the output code preserves the original program’s behavior while improving its syntax and safety features in Rust.

Why it matters?

This matters because Rust is known for being safer and less prone to bugs than C, so tools like EvoC2Rust can help modernize old C programs by converting them into safer Rust code automatically. This can save developers time, reduce errors, and improve software security and reliability.