MISRust maps 179 MISRA-C++ rules to Rust for safety-critical systems

A new academic paper, MISRust: Mapping MISRA-C++ Coding Guidelines to the Rust Programming Language, systematically analyzes all 179 MISRA C++ 2023 guidelines for applicability to Rust. As Rust gains traction in safety-critical systems (e.g., automotive, aerospace), developers need coding guidelines to comply with standards like ISO 26262. The authors examined each rule's rationale and classified them into six categories based on whether they apply directly, need adaptation, or are irrelevant to Rust.

Key findings: 47.75% of the 111 rules that apply as-is are automatically enforced by Rust's ownership model, borrow checker, and type system—eliminating the need for manual guideline enforcement. 36 of the 69 remaining guidelines are automatically satisfied when using only safe Rust, but become relevant again when unsafe features are used. The paper also identifies areas requiring new Rust-specific guidelines and provides open-source mapping artifacts to accelerate adoption of Rust in certified environments.