rust-lifetimes

What problem does it solve?

Lifetimes are a core Rust concept that prevent dangling references by requiring explicit lifetime relationships between references, but they can be confusing and error-prone for developers. This Skill clarifies why lifetimes exist, when to annotate, and how to apply the three elision rules to write correct, safe code.

Core Features & Use Cases

• Explain lifetimes & why they exist to prevent dangling references.
• Clarify the three elision rules and when explicit annotations are required.
• Guide common patterns such as structs with reference fields and functions returning references, with practical examples.

Quick Start

Experiment with a function that returns a reference and add explicit lifetime annotations to satisfy the borrow checker.