Crates / io-lifetimes / Alternatives
Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to io-lifetimes
Short answerThe closest alternatives to io-lifetimes on crates.io data are os_str_bytes (211K real downloads a day), bytes (3.4M real downloads a day), rustix (3.4M real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is bytes, and 8 shipped a release in the last year. io-lifetimes itself gets 418,589 a day with 26 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs io-lifetimes | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| os_str_bytes Pulled in | 211,293 | 0.50x | 47 | 3mo | category Operating systems, category Rust patterns | compare |
| bytes Foundational | 3,424,140 | 8.18x | 17,656 | 4mo | keyword "io" | compare |
| rustix Widely used | 3,390,892 | 8.10x | 1,684 | 38d | keyword "api" | compare |
| tower Widely used | 2,342,590 | 5.60x | 5,816 | 9mo | keyword "io" | compare |
| tower-http Widely used | 2,044,149 | 4.88x | 3,782 | 54d | keyword "io" | compare |
| tungstenite Established | 1,131,863 | 2.70x | 710 | 3mo | keyword "io" | compare |
| memmap2 Widely used | 1,039,105 | 2.48x | 2,487 | 3d | keyword "io" | compare |
| tokio-tungstenite Widely used | 1,029,416 | 2.46x | 3,629 | 3mo | keyword "io" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with io-lifetimes; read its description before you swap.
- More dependents means more answered questions and a smaller chance it disappears.
- Check the last release against how fast you need fixes. For io-lifetimes: is it still maintained?
Rules
Alternatives = tracked crates (top 1000 by downloads) that share a specific crates.io category (2 points each) or keyword (3 points each) with io-lifetimes, most similar first; its own parts (same name prefix) and crates it depends on or that depend on it are left out, because those are companions, not substitutes. Real downloads = quiet-day median, crates.io data Oct 24, 2026. Built when we find 3 or more.
Up next
The closest alternative: Few direct dependents and losing ground. 211,293 real downloads a day.os_str_bytesRust crate. Lossless functionality for platform-native strings. Real use: 211K downloads a day on quiet days; 47 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time