backend-async

Backend Async Patterns (Rust)

Production-ready async patterns using Axum 0.8+, Tokio, and Solana clients for building backend services, indexers, and APIs.

Modern Stack (2026)

• Axum 0.8+: Web framework (no more #[async_trait] needed!)
• Tokio 1.40+: Async runtime
• Tower: Middleware (compression, tracing, timeouts)
• sqlx: Async database with compile-time checked queries
• solana-client: Async Solana RPC client
• Redis: Caching layer for RPC responses

Axum 0.8 Server Setup

Basic Server Pattern

use axum::{
    Router,
    routing::{get, post},
    extract::{State, Path},
    response::IntoResponse,
    http::StatusCode,
    Json,
};
use tokio::net::TcpListener;
use tower_http::{
    trace::TraceLayer,
    compression::CompressionLayer,
};

#[derive(Clone)]
struct AppState {
    db: sqlx::PgPool,
    solana_client: Arc<RpcClient>,
    redis: redis::Client,
}

#[tokio::main]
async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
    // Tracing setup
    tracing_subscriber::fmt::init();

    // Database pool
    let db = sqlx::postgres::PgPoolOptions::new()
        .max_connections(50)
        .connect(&env::var("DATABASE_URL")?)
        .await?;

    // Solana client
    let solana_client = Arc::new(RpcClient::new_with_commitment(
        env::var("SOLANA_RPC_URL")?,
        CommitmentConfig::confirmed(),
    ));

    // Redis for caching
    let redis = redis::Client::open(env::var("REDIS_URL")?)?;

    let state = AppState { db, solana_client, redis };

    // Axum 0.8: New path syntax with {}
    let app = Router::new()
        .route("/health", get(health_check))
        .route("/api/accounts/{pubkey}", get(get_account))
        .route("/api/transactions", post(submit_transaction))
        .route("/api/program/{program_id}/accounts", get(get_program_accounts))
        .layer(TraceLayer::new_for_http())
        .layer(CompressionLayer::new())
        .with_state(state);

    let listener = TcpListener::bind("0.0.0.0:3000").await?;
    tracing::info!("Server listening on {}", listener.local_addr()?);

    axum::serve(listener, app).await?;
    Ok(())
}

Handler Patterns (No #[async_trait] Needed!)

Modern Handler (Rust 1.75+)

use axum::extract::{State, Path, Json};
use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};

// ✅ MODERN - No #[async_trait] macro needed!
async fn get_user(
    State(state): State<AppState>,
    Path(user_id): Path<i64>,
) -> Result<Json<User>, AppError> {
    let user = sqlx::query_as!(
        User,
        "SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = $1",
        user_id
    )
    .fetch_one(&state.db)
    .await?;

    Ok(Json(user))
}

async fn create_user(
    State(state): State<AppState>,
    Json(payload): Json<CreateUserRequest>,
) -> Result<(StatusCode, Json<User>), AppError> {
    let user = sqlx::query_as!(
        User,
        r#"
        INSERT INTO users (name, wallet_address)
        VALUES ($1, $2)
        RETURNING *
        "#,
        payload.name,
        payload.wallet_address,
    )
    .fetch_one(&state.db)
    .await?;

    Ok((StatusCode::CREATED, Json(user)))
}

Error Handling Pattern

Custom Error Type with IntoResponse

use axum::{
    response::{IntoResponse, Response},
    http::StatusCode,
    Json,
};
use serde_json::json;

#[derive(Debug)]
pub enum AppError {
    Database(sqlx::Error),
    Solana(solana_client::client_error::ClientError),
    NotFound(String),
    InvalidInput(String),
    Internal(String),
}

impl IntoResponse for AppError {
    fn into_response(self) -> Response {
        let (status, message) = match self {
            AppError::Database(e) => {
                tracing::error!("Database error: {:?}", e);
                (StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, "Database error".to_string())
            }
            AppError::Solana(e) => {
                tracing::error!("Solana RPC error: {:?}", e);
                (StatusCode::BAD_GATEWAY, "Solana RPC error".to_string())
            }
            AppError::NotFound(msg) => (StatusCode::NOT_FOUND, msg),
            AppError::InvalidInput(msg) => (StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST, msg),
            AppError::Internal(msg) => {
                tracing::error!("Internal error: {}", msg);
                (StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, "Internal error".to_string())
            }
        };

        (status, Json(json!({ "error": message }))).into_response()
    }
}

// Automatic error conversions
impl From<sqlx::Error> for AppError {
    fn from(e: sqlx::Error) -> Self {
        AppError::Database(e)
    }
}

impl From<solana_client::client_error::ClientError> for AppError {
    fn from(e: solana_client::client_error::ClientError) -> Self {
        AppError::Solana(e)
    }
}

pub type Result<T> = std::result::Result<T, AppError>;

Solana Client Integration

Async Solana RPC Calls

use solana_client::rpc_client::RpcClient;
use solana_sdk::{
    pubkey::Pubkey,
    commitment_config::CommitmentConfig,
};

async fn get_account_data(
    State(state): State<AppState>,
    Path(pubkey): Path<String>,
) -> Result<Json<AccountData>> {
    // Parse pubkey
    let pubkey = pubkey.parse::<Pubkey>()
        .map_err(|_| AppError::InvalidInput("Invalid Solana address".into()))?;

    // Fetch account (blocks async runtime, use spawn_blocking!)
    let solana_client = state.solana_client.clone();
    let account = tokio::task::spawn_blocking(move || {
        solana_client.get_account(&pubkey)
    })
    .await
    .map_err(|e| AppError::Internal(format!("Task join error: {}", e)))?
    .map_err(AppError::Solana)?;

    Ok(Json(AccountData {
        pubkey: pubkey.to_string(),
        lamports: account.lamports,
        owner: account.owner.to_string(),
    }))
}

Anchor Program Client Integration

use anchor_client::{
    Client,
    Cluster,
    Program,
};
use solana_sdk::signature::Keypair;

async fn call_program_instruction(
    state: &AppState,
    authority: &Keypair,
) -> Result<String> {
    // Setup client (blocking operation!)
    let client = tokio::task::spawn_blocking({
        let authority = authority.insecure_clone();
        move || {
            Client::new_with_options(
                Cluster::Mainnet,
                Rc::new(authority),
                CommitmentConfig::confirmed(),
            )
        }
    }).await.map_err(|e| AppError::Internal(e.to_string()))?;

    let program = client.program(program_id)
        .map_err(|e| AppError::Solana(e))?;

    // Call instruction
    let signature = tokio::task::spawn_blocking(move || {
        program
            .request()
            .accounts(/* ... */)
            .args(/* ... */)
            .send()
    })
    .await
    .map_err(|e| AppError::Internal(e.to_string()))?
    .map_err(AppError::Solana)?;

    Ok(signature.to_string())
}

Avoiding Blocking Operations

CRITICAL: Don’t block the async runtime!

// ❌ BAD - blocks async runtime
async fn bad_handler() -> Result<String> {
    let content = std::fs::read_to_string("file.txt")?;  // BLOCKING!
    Ok(content)
}

// ✅ GOOD - async file I/O
async fn good_async() -> Result<String> {
    let content = tokio::fs::read_to_string("file.txt").await?;
    Ok(content)
}

// ✅ GOOD - spawn_blocking for CPU-intensive work
async fn good_blocking() -> Result<u64> {
    let result = tokio::task::spawn_blocking(|| {
        expensive_computation()  // CPU-intensive
    }).await?;
    Ok(result)
}

Latency Guidelines

• <10μs: Fine in async
• 10-100μs: Consider async alternatives
• >100μs: MUST use spawn_blocking

Database Patterns

Compile-Time Checked Queries

use sqlx::{PgPool, FromRow};

#[derive(FromRow, Serialize)]
struct Transaction {
    id: i64,
    signature: String,
    amount: i64,
    created_at: chrono::DateTime<chrono::Utc>,
}

async fn get_recent_transactions(
    State(state): State<AppState>,
    Path(limit): Path<i64>,
) -> Result<Json<Vec<Transaction>>> {
    // sqlx checks this query at compile time!
    let txs = sqlx::query_as!(
        Transaction,
        r#"
        SELECT id, signature, amount, created_at
        FROM transactions
        ORDER BY created_at DESC
        LIMIT $1
        "#,
        limit
    )
    .fetch_all(&state.db)
    .await?;

    Ok(Json(txs))
}

Transaction Pattern

use sqlx::{Postgres, Transaction as SqlxTransaction};

async fn complex_operation(
    db: &PgPool,
    user_id: i64,
    amount: i64,
) -> Result<()> {
    // Start transaction
    let mut tx: SqlxTransaction<Postgres> = db.begin().await?;

    // Multiple operations atomically
    sqlx::query!(
        "UPDATE accounts SET balance = balance - $1 WHERE user_id = $2",
        amount,
        user_id,
    )
    .execute(&mut *tx)
    .await?;

    sqlx::query!(
        "INSERT INTO transactions (user_id, amount, type) VALUES ($1, $2, $3)",
        user_id,
        amount,
        "withdrawal",
    )
    .execute(&mut *tx)
    .await?;

    // Commit (or automatic rollback on error)
    tx.commit().await?;

    Ok(())
}

Caching Pattern

Redis Integration

use redis::AsyncCommands;

async fn get_cached_account(
    state: &AppState,
    pubkey: &Pubkey,
) -> Result<AccountInfo> {
    let key = format!("account:{}", pubkey);

    // Try cache first
    let mut conn = state.redis.get_async_connection().await
        .map_err(|e| AppError::Internal(format!("Redis: {}", e)))?;

    if let Some(cached): Option<Vec<u8>> = conn.get(&key).await.ok().flatten() {
        return Ok(bincode::deserialize(&cached)?);
    }

    // Fetch from Solana (blocking!)
    let solana_client = state.solana_client.clone();
    let pk = *pubkey;
    let account = tokio::task::spawn_blocking(move || {
        solana_client.get_account(&pk)
    })
    .await
    .map_err(|e| AppError::Internal(e.to_string()))?
    .map_err(AppError::Solana)?;

    // Cache for 60 seconds
    let serialized = bincode::serialize(&account)?;
    let _: () = conn.set_ex(&key, serialized, 60).await
        .map_err(|e| AppError::Internal(format!("Redis set: {}", e)))?;

    Ok(account)
}

WebSocket Pattern

Real-Time Account Updates

use axum::extract::ws::{WebSocket, WebSocketUpgrade};
use futures::{sink::SinkExt, stream::StreamExt};

async fn ws_handler(
    ws: WebSocketUpgrade,
    State(state): State<AppState>,
) -> impl IntoResponse {
    ws.on_upgrade(|socket| handle_socket(socket, state))
}

async fn handle_socket(mut socket: WebSocket, state: AppState) {
    // Subscribe to Solana account updates
    let pubkey = /* from message */;

    loop {
        tokio::select! {
            // Receive from client
            Some(msg) = socket.recv() => {
                match msg {
                    Ok(msg) => {
                        // Handle client message
                    }
                    Err(_) => break,
                }
            }

            // Send Solana updates to client
            Some(update) = get_solana_update(&state, &pubkey) => {
                if let Err(_) = socket.send(update).await {
                    break;
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Transaction Indexer Pattern

async fn index_transactions(
    db: PgPool,
    solana_client: Arc<RpcClient>,
    program_id: Pubkey,
) -> Result<()> {
    let mut last_signature = None;

    loop {
        // Fetch signatures (blocking!)
        let client = solana_client.clone();
        let pid = program_id;
        let last_sig = last_signature.clone();
        
        let signatures = tokio::task::spawn_blocking(move || {
            client.get_signatures_for_address_with_config(
                &pid,
                GetConfirmedSignaturesForAddress2Config {
                    before: last_sig,
                    limit: Some(100),
                    ..Default::default()
                },
            )
        })
        .await
        .map_err(|e| AppError::Internal(e.to_string()))?
        .map_err(AppError::Solana)?;

        if signatures.is_empty() {
            tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_secs(5)).await;
            continue;
        }

        // Process each transaction
        for sig_info in &signatures {
            let tx = fetch_and_parse_transaction(&solana_client, sig_info).await?;
            store_transaction(&db, &tx).await?;
        }
        
        last_signature = signatures.last().map(|s| s.signature.parse().unwrap());
    }
}

Tower Middleware

Custom Middleware Stack

use tower::ServiceBuilder;
use tower_http::{
    trace::TraceLayer,
    compression::CompressionLayer,
    timeout::TimeoutLayer,
    cors::CorsLayer,
};
use std::time::Duration;

let app = Router::new()
    .route("/api/data", get(handler))
    .layer(
        ServiceBuilder::new()
            .layer(TimeoutLayer::new(Duration::from_secs(30)))
            .layer(CompressionLayer::new())
            .layer(TraceLayer::new_for_http())
            .layer(
                CorsLayer::new()
                    .allow_origin(tower_http::cors::Any)
                    .allow_methods([Method::GET, Method::POST])
            )
    )
    .with_state(state);

Testing Patterns

Integration Tests

#[cfg(test)]
mod tests {
    use super::*;
    use axum::{
        body::Body,
        http::{Request, StatusCode},
    };
    use tower::ServiceExt;

    #[tokio::test]
    async fn test_get_account() {
        let app = create_test_app().await;

        let response = app
            .oneshot(
                Request::builder()
                    .uri("/api/accounts/11111111111111111111111111111111")
                    .method("GET")
                    .body(Body::empty())
                    .unwrap()
            )
            .await
            .unwrap();

        assert_eq!(response.status(), StatusCode::OK);
    }

    async fn create_test_app() -> Router {
        // Setup test database, mock Solana client, etc.
        let state = AppState { /* test state */ };
        create_router(state)
    }
}

Best Practices Summary

1. Never block the runtime: Use spawn_blocking for blocking ops
2. Use compile-time checked queries: sqlx query macros
3. Implement IntoResponse: Clean error handling
4. Use Tower middleware: Compression, tracing, timeouts
5. Connection pooling: Database and HTTP clients
6. Instrument with tracing: All important operations
7. Cache RPC responses: Redis for frequently accessed data
8. Handle graceful shutdown: Clean up connections and tasks

Sources:

• Axum 0.8.0 Release
• Axum Best Practices 2025
• Async Rust Tokio Guide