# Keyword crate

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A Rust binary or library.

The primary use of the `crate` keyword is as a part of `extern crate` declarations, which are used to specify a dependency on a crate external to the one it’s declared in. Crates are the fundamental compilation unit of Rust code, and can be seen as libraries or projects. More can be read about crates in the Reference.

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    extern crate rand;
    extern crate my_crate as thing;
    extern crate std; // implicitly added to the root of every Rust project

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The `as` keyword can be used to change what the crate is referred to as in your project. If a crate name includes a dash, it is implicitly imported with the dashes replaced by underscores.

`crate` can also be used as in conjunction with `pub` to signify that the item it’s attached to is public only to other members of the same crate it’s in.

    pub(crate) use std::io::Error as IoError;
    pub(crate) enum CoolMarkerType { }
    pub struct PublicThing {
        pub(crate) semi_secret_thing: bool,
    }

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`crate` is also used to represent the absolute path of a module, where `crate` refers to the root of the current crate. For instance, `crate::foo::bar` refers to the name `bar` inside the module `foo`, from anywhere else in the same crate.