axum-core-version-migration

name	axum-core-version-migration
description	Use when upgrading an Axum project from 0.7 to 0.8, when an app that compiled on 0.7 now panics at startup or fails to compile after the version bump, or when deciding which path and extractor syntax a piece of Axum code targets. Prevents leaving 0.7 path syntax in place (a startup panic), keeping #[async_trait] on custom extractors (a compile error), relying on the old Option<Path<T>> swallow-all behavior, and calling APIs removed in 0.8. Covers the complete 0.7 to 0.8 breaking-change matrix, the path-syntax change, #[async_trait] removal and RPITIT, the WebSocket Message type change, the Option extractor change, the Sync bound, tuple Path arity, the removed-API checklist, and an ordered step-by-step migration checklist. Keywords: axum 0.7 to 0.8, axum upgrade, axum migration, breaking changes, matchit 0.8, path syntax panic, async_trait removed, RPITIT, OptionalFromRequest, Utf8Bytes, axum::Server removed, RawBody removed, TypedHeader moved, MSRV 1.75, app panics on startup after upgrade, code stopped compiling after cargo update, how do I upgrade axum, why does my router panic, what changed in axum 0.8.
license	MIT
compatibility	Designed for Claude Code. Requires Axum 0.7,0.8.
metadata	{"author":"OpenAEC-Foundation","version":"1.0"}

axum-core-version-migration

This skill is the migration reference for moving an Axum project from version 0.7 to version 0.8. Axum 0.7.0 released 2023-11-27; Axum 0.8.0 released 2024-12-02. The upgrade has one panic-at-startup change (path syntax) and several compile-time changes. Every breaking change is mechanical and individually verifiable.

When To Use This Skill

• Bumping axum = "0.7" to axum = "0.8" in Cargo.toml
• An Axum app that ran on 0.7 panics at startup after the version bump
• Code stopped compiling after cargo update -p axum
• A custom extractor no longer compiles (the #[async_trait] change)
• WebSocket code fails to compile (the Message payload type change)
• Deciding whether a path string or example targets 0.7 or 0.8

Quick Reference

Breaking-change matrix (0.7 to 0.8)

Area	0.7 form	0.8 form
Path single capture	/:id	/{id}
Path catch-all	/*rest	/{*rest}
Old path syntax on 0.8	accepted	PANICS at router construction
Literal { or } in a path	literal	escape by doubling: {{, }}
Custom extractor async	#[async_trait] on the impl	native async fn in trait (RPITIT)
Minimum Rust version	lower	Rust 1.75
WebSocket Message::Text	String	Utf8Bytes
WebSocket Binary / Ping / Pong	Vec<u8>	Bytes
Option<Path<T>> and other Option<Extractor>	swallows all errors to None	rejects in many cases (OptionalFromRequest)
Handler / service Sync bound	not required	Sync required on Router and MethodRouter
Tuple Path<T> arity	lenient	parameter count must equal tuple length exactly
WebSocket::close	available	removed (send Message::Close explicitly)
serve listener / IO types	concrete	generic over listener and IO types
Serve::tcp_nodelay	available	removed
RawBody extractor	available	removed

Removed-API replacements and full signatures: references/methods.md.

Severity classification

Severity	Change	Failure mode
Panic at startup	0.7 path syntax on 0.8	server boots, then panics on router construction
Compile error	#[async_trait], removed APIs, B param, Sync bound, hyper::Body	cargo build fails
Silent behavior change	Option<Path<T>> rejection, tuple Path arity	compiles, but runtime responses change

ALWAYS treat the silent behavior changes as the highest audit priority: they do NOT announce themselves with a panic or a compile error.

Decision Trees

Identifying which version a piece of code targets

Inspecting an Axum code sample or path string?
├── Path contains "/:name" or "/*name"           -> targets axum 0.7
├── Path contains "/{name}" or "/{*name}"        -> targets axum 0.8
├── A custom extractor impl has #[async_trait]   -> targets axum 0.7
├── Message::Text holds a String                 -> targets axum 0.7
├── Message::Text holds a Utf8Bytes / .into()    -> targets axum 0.8
├── axum::Server::bind(...)                      -> targets axum 0.7
└── axum::serve(listener, app)                   -> targets axum 0.7 or 0.8

axum::serve exists in both 0.7 and 0.8, so it alone does NOT identify the version. ALWAYS confirm with the path syntax or an extractor impl.

Converting a route path

Migrating a .route(), .nest(), or .route_service() path string?
├── Path has a ":param" single capture?
│   └── Rewrite ":param" as "{param}"
├── Path has a "*rest" catch-all?
│   └── Rewrite "*rest" as "{*rest}"
├── Path contains a literal "{" or "}"?
│   └── Double it: "{" becomes "{{", "}" becomes "}}"
└── Path needs a LITERAL ":" or "*" segment (not a capture)?
    └── Add Router::without_v07_checks() so the 0.7-syntax panic is disabled

Migrating an Option<Extractor>

A handler argument is Option<Path<T>> (or another Option<Extractor>)?
├── The 0.7 code relied on a malformed value becoming None?
│   └── Switch to Result<Extractor, Rejection> to inspect the failure
└── You only need "absent -> None, present-and-valid -> Some"?
    └── Keep Option<Extractor>; accept the 0.8 reject-on-malformed semantics

Migration Checklist

Follow top to bottom. Each step is mechanical and individually verifiable.

1. Bump dependencies: set axum = "0.8" in Cargo.toml, bump axum-extra to its 0.8-compatible release (0.10.x), run cargo update -p axum.
2. Set the toolchain to Rust 1.75 or newer (the 0.8 MSRV). Update rust-toolchain.toml and CI images that pin an older version.
3. Convert every route path: :param becomes {param}, *rest becomes {*rest}, in every .route(), .nest(), and .route_service() call. Escape literal braces as {{ / }}. For a genuinely literal : or * segment, add Router::without_v07_checks().
4. Remove #[async_trait] from every impl FromRequest and impl FromRequestParts block. Drop the async-trait dependency if nothing else uses it. The async fn bodies stay unchanged.
5. Fix WebSocket Message construction: Message::Text(s.to_string()) becomes Message::Text(s.into()); Message::Binary(v) becomes Message::Binary(v.into()). Replace String / Vec<u8> pattern bindings on Message variants with Utf8Bytes / Bytes. Replace socket.close() with socket.send(Message::Close(None)).
6. Audit every Option<Path<T>> and other Option<Extractor>: switch to Result<Extractor, Rejection> where the 0.7 swallow-all behavior was relied on, otherwise accept the new reject-on-malformed semantics.
7. Check tuple Path arity: every Path<(A, B, ...)> tuple length must equal the number of {captures} in its route exactly.
8. Replace removed APIs: axum::Server becomes axum::serve plus a TcpListener; RawBody / BodyStream become Bytes / String / Request::into_body(); becomes ; remove the body generic from and handler signatures.

Patterns

Pattern: path syntax conversion

// axum 0.7
Router::new()
    .route("/users/:id", get(show))
    .route("/assets/*path", get(serve_file));

// axum 0.8
Router::new()
    .route("/users/{id}", get(show))
    .route("/assets/{*path}", get(serve_file));

The 0.7 syntax on a 0.8 router panics at router construction (startup), never at request time. This is deliberate, so a routing regression cannot pass unnoticed. NEVER use without_v07_checks() as a migration shortcut; it makes :id a LITERAL segment, not a capture.

Pattern: removing #[async_trait] from a custom extractor

// axum 0.7 - the macro is required
#[async_trait]
impl<S: Send + Sync> FromRequestParts<S> for ExtractUserAgent {
    type Rejection = (StatusCode, &'static str);
    async fn from_request_parts(parts: &mut Parts, _: &S)
        -> Result<Self, Self::Rejection> { /* ... */ }
}

// axum 0.8 - identical body, NO #[async_trait]
impl<S: Send + Sync> FromRequestParts<S> for ExtractUserAgent {
    type Rejection = (StatusCode, &'static str);
    async fn from_request_parts(parts: &mut Parts, _: &S)
        -> Result<Self, Self::Rejection> { /* ... */ }
}

Axum 0.8 uses native return-position impl Trait in traits (RPITIT, stabilized in Rust 1.75), so FromRequest and FromRequestParts no longer need #[async_trait]. ALWAYS delete the attribute and remove the async-trait dependency; the async fn body is unchanged. See axum-syntax-custom-extractors.

Pattern: WebSocket Message type change

// axum 0.7
socket.send(Message::Text("hello".to_string())).await?;
socket.send(Message::Binary(vec![1, 2, 3])).await?;

// axum 0.8 - Utf8Bytes and Bytes, both have From impls from the old types
socket.send(Message::Text("hello".into())).await?;
socket.send(Message::Binary(vec![1, 2, 3].into())).await?;

Message::Text holds Utf8Bytes in 0.8 (was String); Binary, Ping, and Pong hold Bytes (was Vec<u8>). WebSocket::close was removed in 0.8; ALWAYS send Message::Close(None) explicitly instead.

Pattern: Option extractor behavior change

// axum 0.7 - a malformed path id produced None
async fn handler(maybe: Option<Path<u64>>) { /* ... */ }

// axum 0.8 - a malformed path id REJECTS with 400; use Result to inspect it
async fn handler(res: Result<Path<u64>, PathRejection>) {
    match res {
        Ok(Path(id)) => { /* present and valid */ }
        Err(rej)     => { /* present but malformed, or absent */ }
    }
}

In 0.8, Option<T> requires T to implement OptionalFromRequest or OptionalFromRequestParts. The new semantics distinguish "absent" from "present but invalid": an absent optional value can still yield None, but a malformed one rejects. This change is SILENT (it compiles), so audit every Option<Extractor> explicitly.

Pattern: replacing the removed server type

// axum 0.7 - the old server type
axum::Server::bind(&"0.0.0.0:3000".parse().unwrap())
    .serve(app.into_make_service())
    .await
    .unwrap();

// axum 0.8 - serve over an explicit tokio listener
let listener = tokio::net::TcpListener::bind("0.0.0.0:3000").await.unwrap();
axum::serve(listener, app).await.unwrap();

Full removed-API replacement table: references/methods.md.

Common Mistakes

• Leaving a single :param path unconverted: the whole app panics at startup, not just that route. See references/anti-patterns.md.
• Keeping #[async_trait] on a custom extractor: a compile error on 0.8.
• Assuming Option<Path<T>> still swallows errors: it now rejects.
• Using without_v07_checks() to skip path migration: it makes captures literal.
• Forgetting the axum-extra move for TypedHeader and Host: import errors.

Reference Links

• references/methods.md : the complete removed-and-moved API table with exact 0.8 replacements, plus the without_v07_checks and axum::serve signatures.
• references/examples.md : full before-and-after migration examples, including Cargo.toml diffs and the axum-extra feature setup.
• references/anti-patterns.md : the migration mistakes that cause a startup panic, a compile error, or a silent behavior change, each with the fix.

Related Skills

• axum-core-router : .route(), .nest(), and without_v07_checks in depth.
• axum-syntax-custom-extractors : the 0.7 and 0.8 forms of a custom extractor.
• axum-impl-websockets : the WebSocket and Message API in full.