14.8 Summary

In this chapter, we have examined Rust’s Option<T>:

  • Explicit Absence: It forces you to address the potential absence of data.
  • Comparison to C: Instead of risky NULL pointers or sentinel values, Rust enforces compile-time checks for missing data.
  • Performance: The null-pointer optimization often lets Option<T> occupy the same space as T.
  • Methods and Combinators: Tools like map, and_then, filter, or_else, and the ? operator help you handle optional values with minimal boilerplate.
  • Clarity and Safety: The type system documents and enforces correct handling of ‘no value’ conditions.

By using Option<T>, you make your code more robust, maintainable, and self-documenting. You will find that avoiding null pointer errors is not a matter of good discipline alone—Rust’s type system will ensure it.