juniorRust

What is Result vs Option in Rust?

Updated May 24, 2026

Short answer

Option handles absence; Result handles success or failure.

Deep explanation

Option represents Some or None, while Result represents Ok or Err, enabling explicit error handling.

Real-world example

File operations, network requests.

Common mistakes

  • Ignoring error variants.

Follow-up questions

  • Can Option be converted to Result?
  • Why avoid exceptions?

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