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Tokio provides a comprehensive set of examples showcasing various capabilities of the async runtime. These examples range from simple “hello world” programs to more complex real-world applications.

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Getting Started

All examples can be executed from the Tokio repository with: 
cargo run --example $name
For beginners, we recommend starting with the hello_world and echo-tcp examples to understand the basics of async networking with Tokio.

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Available Examples

Hello World

A simple TCP client that connects and writes data

Echo TCP Server

A concurrent TCP echo server demonstrating basic async I/O patterns

Chat Server

A multi-client chat server with message broadcasting

TCP Client

Connect stdin/stdout to a TCP stream for interactive communication

Proxy Server

Forward data between clients and backend servers

Custom Executor

Integrate Tokio runtime with custom executors

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Example Categories

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Networking Basics

A minimal TCP client that opens a connection, writes “hello world”, and closes.Use case: Understanding basic async TCP connectionsKey concepts:
  • TcpStream::connect()
  • AsyncWriteExt trait
  • #[tokio::main] macro
cargo run --example hello_world
An interactive client that hooks up stdin/stdout to a TCP stream, allowing you to type messages and receive responses.Use case: Testing TCP servers interactivelyKey concepts:
  • Framed I/O with codecs
  • Stream and Sink traits
  • Bidirectional communication
cargo run --example connect-tcp 127.0.0.1:8080
A TCP proxy that forwards data between clients and a backend server using copy_bidirectional.Use case: Load balancing, protocol translation, debuggingKey concepts:
  • copy_bidirectional()
  • Concurrent connection handling
  • Forwarding patterns
cargo run --example proxy

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Server Examples

These examples demonstrate building production-ready servers with Tokio:
  • Echo TCP Server - Learn concurrent connection handling and basic I/O patterns
  • Chat Server - Explore message broadcasting, shared state, and the select! macro
  • UDP Examples - UDP echo server and client implementations

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Advanced Topics

Custom Executor

Learn how to integrate Tokio with other executor frameworks using TokioContext.Topics covered:
  • Custom runtime integration
  • Context management
  • Thread pool coordination

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Real-World Example

For a larger, production-quality example, check out mini-redis, a Redis implementation built with Tokio. It demonstrates:
  • Command parsing and execution
  • Connection pooling
  • Error handling patterns
  • Testing async code
  • Production-ready architecture
The Tokio tutorial provides guided walkthroughs of several examples with detailed explanations.

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Contributing Examples

Have an example you’d like to see? Open an issue in the Tokio repository. If you’ve built something useful, pull requests are welcome!

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Next Steps

Start with Echo Server

Build your first concurrent TCP server

Build a Chat App

Learn message broadcasting and state management

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