Introduction

Dioxus 0.7 is the latest stable version of a powerful cross-platform UI framework built in Rust. With Dioxus, developers can use a single Rust codebase to build applications that run on the web, desktop, and mobile platforms — all while leveraging Rust’s performance, strong type safety, and modern tooling. oaicite:0

In this post, we’ll explore what Dioxus is, how it works, and how you can start building your first app using its declarative UI syntax and cross-platform capabilities.

Main Content

What Is Dioxus?#

At its core, Dioxus is a developer-focused UI framework designed to simplify building interactive applications while offering the performance and safety benefits of Rust. It’s similar in spirit to frameworks like Flutter or React Native, but deeply rooted in the Rust ecosystem. oaicite:1

The framework’s syntax is inspired by modern declarative UI paradigms, meaning you describe what your UI should look like instead of how to construct elements imperatively.

Why Use Dioxus?#

Developers gravitate toward Dioxus because it offers:

• Cross-platform support (web, desktop, mobile)
• Rust’s performance and safety guarantees
• RSX, a macro-based declarative UI syntax
• Hot-reloading for faster developer feedback
• Integrated tools for building, bundling, and deploying apps oaicite:3

Core Concepts: RSX and Components#

Dioxus uses RSX — a Rust macro that resembles JSX (from React) — to describe UI in a declarative way. Instead of manually creating and updating DOM elements, you declare what your components should render. oaicite:5

RSX Example#

fn App() -> Element {
    rsx! {
        div { "Hello, world!" }
    }
}

RSX syntax feels familiar to developers experienced with JSX or other declarative UI languages, but with the robustness of Rust’s compiler and type system powering it. (Dioxus Labs) ::

Hot-reloading is built in — when you save changes, your app updates instantly without a full rebuild. (Dioxus Labs)

State Management#

Dioxus has a built-in reactivity model using signals, allowing your UI to update when underlying data changes. Signals wrap ordinary Rust values and trigger component re-renders whenever they’re updated. (Dioxus Labs)

let mut count = use_signal(|| 0);

This simple reactive primitive brings interactivity to your applications with minimal boilerplate.

Building a Complete App: The HotDog Tutorial#

To help developers get started, Dioxus provides a comprehensive tutorial where you’ll build a small cross-platform app called “HotDog” — a playful dog photo app that lets users swipe and save images. (Dioxus Labs)

What You’ll Learn#

• Tooling setup
• Creating your first app project
• Working with components
• Adding state and interactivity
• Fetching remote data
• Routing and multi-page UI
• Bundling and deployment (Dioxus Labs)

This guided experience walks you from zero to a full app that runs across platforms, showing how Dioxus handles fullstack needs efficiently.

Fetching Data and Resources#

Dioxus doesn’t have built-in data fetching utilities, so you’ll often leverage existing Rust crates like reqwest for HTTP client functionality and serde for JSON deserialization. (Dioxus Labs)

Example: Fetching and Displaying a Random Dog Image#

#[component]
fn DogView() -> Element {
    let mut img_src = use_resource(|| async move {
        reqwest::get("https://dog.ceo/api/breeds/image/random")
            .await.unwrap()
            .json::<DogApi>()
            .await.unwrap()
            .message
    });

    rsx! {
        div {
            img { src: img_src.cloned().unwrap_or_default() }
        }
    }
}

This pattern shows how Dioxus integrates asynchronous logic with its reactive system via use_resource. (Dioxus Labs)

Routing and Navigation#

Most real applications need multiple screens. Dioxus includes a type-safe router that maps enum variants to paths. (Dioxus Labs)

Routing Example#

#[derive(Routable, Clone, PartialEq)]
enum Route {
    #[route("/")]
    DogView,
}

Once configured, navigating between pages is seamless and safe at compile time, reducing runtime bugs. (Dioxus Labs)

Fullstack Capabilities#

Dioxus doesn’t just handle the frontend—it also integrates backend logic directly in Rust. You can combine frontend UI code with backend server functions, state management, and SSR capabilities via the fullstack features. (Dioxus Labs)

Fullstack Features#

• Server functions callable from the UI
• Integration with backend frameworks
• Static and dynamic content rendering ::

This makes Dioxus ideal for end-to-end Rust applications where both client and server share a language and ecosystem.

Why Dioxus Matters#

With Dioxus 0.7, Rust developers finally have a mature, ergonomic framework for building cross-platform UI applications that don’t compromise performance or safety. The combination of Rust’s compile-time guarantees, declarative UI, and comprehensive tooling makes it a compelling choice for modern application development. (Dioxus Labs)

Whether you’re building a mobile app, desktop client, or WASM-based web UI, Dioxus helps you maintain a single codebase across all platforms without sacrificing developer productivity.

Conclusion

Dioxus 0.7 is more than just a UI framework — it’s a unified platform for building fullstack, cross-platform applications entirely in Rust. With intuitive UI syntax, powerful state management, routing, backend integration, and solid tooling, it’s positioned as a strong contender for modern app development in Rust.

If you’re ready to build fast, safe, and beautiful applications, Dioxus is a framework worth exploring. 🚀