Lifetime issues when creating a proxy callback fn
⚓ Rust 📅 2025-10-29 👤 surdeus 👁️ 2I'm working on a database transaction proxy system and encountering lifetime issues when trying to create a wrapper around async callbacks. I have a TransactionTrait that defines a transaction method taking an async callback, and I'm trying to create a proxy that can wrap and enhance these callbacks.
I have two attempts at creating a proxy callback function, but both have lifetime issues:
Attempt 1: proxy_callback1
async fn proxy_callback1<F, T, E>(
callback: F,
) -> impl for<'r> FnOnce(
&'r DatabaseTransaction,
) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = Result<T, E>> + Send + 'r>>
+ Send
where
F: for<'c> FnOnce(
&'c DatabaseTransaction,
) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = Result<T, E>> + Send + 'c>>
+ Send,
T: Send,
E: Display + Debug + Send,
{
move |dt: &DatabaseTransaction| {
// ERROR: the parameter type `F` may not live long enough [E0310]
// the parameter type `F` must be valid for the static lifetime..
Box::pin(async move {
do_something().await;
callback(dt).await
})
}
}
Error: The compiler complains that type F may not live long enough and must be valid for the 'static lifetime.
Attempt 2: proxy_callback2
async fn proxy_callback2<'a, F, T, E>(
callback: F,
) -> impl FnOnce(&'a DatabaseTransaction) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = Result<T, E>> + Send + 'a>>
+ Send
+ 'a
where
F: FnOnce(&'a DatabaseTransaction) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = Result<T, E>> + Send + 'a>>
+ Send
+ 'a,
T: Send,
E: Display + Debug + Send,
{
move |dt: &DatabaseTransaction| {
// This compiles but is too restrictive
Box::pin(async move {
do_something().await;
callback(dt).await
})
}
}
This version compiles but is too restrictive - it requires all lifetimes to be the same ('a ), which doesn't match the more flexible higher-ranked trait bounds (HRTB) used in the trait.
What Works
The inline approach in the DatabaseConnectionProxy works perfectly:
#[async_trait::async_trait]
impl TransactionTrait for DatabaseConnectionProxy {
async fn transaction<F, T, E>(&self, callback: F) -> Result<T, TransactionError<E>>
where
F: for<'c> FnOnce(
&'c DatabaseTransaction,
) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = Result<T, E>> + Send + 'c>>
+ Send,
T: Send,
E: Display + Debug + Send,
{
let callback_proxy = move |dt: &DatabaseTransaction| {
Box::pin(async {
// Do something: eg: log.info().await;
callback(dt).await
})
};
self.inner_conn.transaction(callback_proxy).await
}
}
The Core Issue
I want to extract the proxy callback logic into a reusable function, but I can't seem to express the correct lifetime relationships. The trait uses HRTB (for<'c> ) to indicate that the callback should work for any lifetime 'c of the DatabaseTransaction , but when I try to create a standalone function, I either get lifetime errors or the signature becomes too restrictive.
What I've Tried
- Higher-ranked trait bounds in the return type
- Explicit lifetime parameters (but they become too restrictive)
- Various combinations of
+ 'staticbounds
Questions
- Why does the inline closure work in the trait implementation but not when extracted to a function?
- How can I express the proper lifetime bounds for a standalone proxy callback function?
- Is there a way to maintain the flexibility of the HRTB while extracting this logic?
All Code
use std::fmt::{Debug, Display};
use std::pin::Pin;
pub enum TransactionError<E> {
Connection,
Transaction(E),
}
pub struct DatabaseTransaction;
#[async_trait::async_trait]
pub trait TransactionTrait {
async fn transaction<F, T, E>(&self, callback: F) -> Result<T, TransactionError<E>>
where
F: for<'c> FnOnce(
&'c DatabaseTransaction,
) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = Result<T, E>> + Send + 'c>>
+ Send,
T: Send,
E: Display + Debug + Send;
}
pub struct DatabaseConnection;
#[async_trait::async_trait]
impl TransactionTrait for DatabaseConnection {
async fn transaction<F, T, E>(&self, callback: F) -> Result<T, TransactionError<E>>
where
F: for<'c> FnOnce(
&'c DatabaseTransaction,
) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = Result<T, E>> + Send + 'c>>
+ Send,
T: Send,
E: Display + Debug + Send,
{
let r = callback(&DatabaseTransaction).await?;
Ok(r)
}
}
pub struct DatabaseConnectionProxy {
inner_conn: DatabaseConnection,
}
#[async_trait::async_trait]
impl TransactionTrait for DatabaseConnectionProxy {
async fn transaction<F, T, E>(&self, callback: F) -> Result<T, TransactionError<E>>
where
F: for<'c> FnOnce(
&'c DatabaseTransaction,
) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = Result<T, E>> + Send + 'c>>
+ Send,
T: Send,
E: Display + Debug + Send,
{
// Proxy callback:
let callback_proxy = move |dt: &DatabaseTransaction| {
//dt lifetime:'a
Box::pin(async {
// Do something :eg: log.info().await;
callback(dt).await // callback lifetime :'b
})
};
self.inner_conn.transaction(callback_proxy).await
}
}
// simple function 2
async fn proxy_callback1<F, T, E>(
callback: F,
) -> impl for<'r> FnOnce(
&'r DatabaseTransaction,
) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = Result<T, E>> + Send + 'r>>
+ Send
where
F: for<'c> FnOnce(
&'c DatabaseTransaction,
) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = Result<T, E>> + Send + 'c>>
+ Send,
T: Send,
E: Display + Debug + Send,
{
move |dt: &DatabaseTransaction| {
// the parameter type `F` may not live long enough [E0310]
// the parameter type `F` must be valid for the static lifetime..
Box::pin(async move {
do_something().await;
callback(dt).await
})
}
}
// simple function 2
async fn proxy_callback2<'a, F, T, E>(
callback: F,
) -> impl FnOnce(&'a DatabaseTransaction) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = Result<T, E>> + Send + 'a>>
+ Send
+ 'a
where
F: FnOnce(&'a DatabaseTransaction) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = Result<T, E>> + Send + 'a>>
+ Send
+ 'a,
T: Send,
E: Display + Debug + Send,
{
move |dt: &DatabaseTransaction| {
// pass , but not general enough type :
Box::pin(async move {
do_something().await;
callback(dt).await
})
}
}
async fn do_something() {
println!("do_something");
}
fn main() {}
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