# Getting Started
Let’s create and run our first actix web application. We’ll create a new Cargo project
that depends on actix web and then run the application.
In previous section we already installed required rust version. Now let's create new cargo projects.
## Hello, world!
Let’s write our first actix web application! Start by creating a new binary-based
Cargo project and changing into the new directory:
```bash
cargo new hello-world --bin
cd hello-world
```
Now, add actix and actix web as dependencies of your project by ensuring your Cargo.toml
contains the following:
```toml
[dependencies]
actix = "0.5"
actix-web = "0.4"
```
In order to implement a web server, first we need to create a request handler.
A request handler is a function that accepts a `HttpRequest` instance as its only parameter
and returns a type that can be converted into `HttpResponse`:
```rust
# extern crate actix_web;
# use actix_web::*;
fn index(req: HttpRequest) -> &'static str {
"Hello world!"
}
# fn main() {}
```
Next, create an `Application` instance and register the
request handler with the application's `resource` on a particular *HTTP method* and *path*::
```rust
# extern crate actix_web;
# use actix_web::*;
# fn index(req: HttpRequest) -> &'static str {
# "Hello world!"
# }
# fn main() {
Application::new()
.resource("/", |r| r.f(index));
# }
```
After that, application instance can be used with `HttpServer` to listen for incoming
connections. Server accepts function that should return `HttpHandler` instance:
```rust,ignore
HttpServer::new(
|| Application::new()
.resource("/", |r| r.f(index)))
.bind("127.0.0.1:8088")?
.run();
```
That's it. Now, compile and run the program with cargo run.
Head over to ``http://localhost:8088/`` to see the results.
Here is full source of main.rs file:
```rust
# use std::thread;
extern crate actix_web;
use actix_web::*;
fn index(req: HttpRequest) -> &'static str {
"Hello world!"
}
fn main() {
# // In the doctest suite we can't run blocking code - deliberately leak a thread
# // If copying this example in show-all mode make sure you skip the thread spawn
# // call.
# thread::spawn(|| {
HttpServer::new(
|| Application::new()
.resource("/", |r| r.f(index)))
.bind("127.0.0.1:8088").expect("Can not bind to 127.0.0.1:8088")
.run();
# });
}
```
Note on `actix` crate. Actix web framework is built on top of actix actor library.
`actix::System` initializes actor system, `HttpServer` is an actor and must run within
properly configured actix system. For more information please check
[actix documentation](https://actix.github.io/actix/actix/)