When I can use either Cell or RefCell, which should I choose?

Question

From the std::cell documentation, I see that Cell is "only compatible with types that implement Copy". This means I must use RefCell for non-Copy types.

When I do have a Copy type, is there a benefit to using one type of cell over another? I assume the answer is "yes", because otherwise both types wouldn't exist! What are the benefits and tradeoffs of using one type over the other?

Here's a silly, made-up example that uses both Cell and RefCell to accomplish the same goal:

use std::cell::{Cell,RefCell};

struct ThingWithCell {
    counter: Cell<u8>,
}

impl ThingWithCell {
    fn new() -> ThingWithCell {
        ThingWithCell { counter: Cell::new(0) }
    }

    fn increment(&self) {
        self.counter.set(self.counter.get() + 1);
    }

    fn count(&self) -> u8 { self.counter.get() }
}

struct ThingWithRefCell {
    counter: RefCell<u8>,
}

impl ThingWithRefCell {
    fn new() -> ThingWithRefCell {
        ThingWithRefCell { counter: RefCell::new(0) }
    }

    fn increment(&self) {
        let mut counter = self.counter.borrow_mut();
        *counter = *counter + 1;
    }

    fn count(&self) -> u8 { *self.counter.borrow_mut() }
}


fn main() {
    let cell = ThingWithCell::new();
    cell.increment();
    println!("{}", cell.count());

    let cell = ThingWithRefCell::new();
    cell.increment();
    println!("{}", cell.count());
}

Answer 1

I think it is important to take into account the other semantic differences between Cell and RefCell:

• Cell provides you values, RefCell with references
• Cell never panics, RefCell can panic

Let us imagine a situation where these differences matter:

let cell = Cell::new(foo);
{
    let mut value = cell.get();
    // do some heavy processing on value
    cell.set(value);
}

In this case, if we imagine some complex workflow with a lot of callback and that cell is part of a global state, it is possible that the contents of cell are modified as a side effect of the "heavy processing", and these potential changes will be lost when value is written back in cell.

On the other hand, a similar code using RefCell:

let cell = RefCell::new(foo);
{
    let mut_ref = cell.borrow_mut().unwrap();
    // do some heavy processing on mut_ref
}

In this case, any modification of cell as a side-effect of the "heavy processing" is forbidden, and would result into a panic. You thus are certain that the value of cell will not change without using mut_ref

I would decide which to use depending of the semantics of the value it holds, rather than simply the Copy trait. If both are acceptable, then Cell is lighter and safer than the other, and thus would be preferable.

Answer 2

TL; DR: Cell when you can.

---

Long answer: Cell and RefCell have a similar name because they both permit the interior mutability, but they have a different purpose:

Cell

It is a wrapper around T that forbids to share it multiple times at once: you cannot borrow immutably the inner data. This wrapper does not have any overhead, but because of this limitation, you can only do the following operations:

• Set the inner value,
• Swap the inner value with something else,
• Copy the inner value (only when T is Copyable, thus).

Thanks to its limitation, the Cell behaves like an exclusive borrow, aka a &mut T. Therefore, it is always safe to change the inner value. To summarize:

• Advantage: no overhead
• Advantage: always mutable
• Limitation: some operations are impossible

 RefCell

It is a wrapper around T that "removes" the compile-time borrow-checks: the operations that modify the inner value take a shared reference &self to the RefCell. Normally, this would be unsafe, but each modifying operation firstly verify that the value was not previously borrowed. The exclusivity of a mutable borrow is verified at runtime.

To summarize:

• Limitation: a very small overhead
• Limitation: not always mutable, if it was previously mutably borrowed (beware, some operations may panic in this case)
• Advantage: you are not limited with the operations that you can do

What should you chose?

The advantages and limitations are a mirror of each other. The answer to your question is: if the limitations of Cell do not bother you, use it, because beside this, it has only advantages. However, if you want a more flexible interior mutability, use RefCell.

Answer 3

You should use Cell, if you can.

Cell uses no runtime checking at all. All it does is an encapsulation that disallows aliasing and tells the compiler that it is an internally mutable slot. In most cases, it should compile to code that is exactly the same as if the type without cell wrapping was there.

By comparison, RefCell uses a simple usage counter to check borrowing vs. mutable borrowing at runtime, and that check can lead to a panic at runtime if you violate for example the exclusivity of mutable borrowing. The possible panic can be an impediment to optimization.

There is at least one more difference. A Cell will never let you get a pointer to the stored value itself. So, if you need that, a RefCell is the only choice.