Name resolution libraries are loaded dynamically [1,2], so glibc can't be linked statically if you want NSS to work. I gather there might be a way to explicitly link to a specific resolution library but this is practically unsupported/poorly documented.
It's generally considered a poor idea to statically link glibc, but if you don't rely on certain features, you can do it. For example, NSS won't work unless you add a bunch of flags for other libraries you specifically use, see https://sourceware.org/glibc/wiki/FAQ#Even_statically_linked...
Most people who focus on 100% statically linking just use a different libc. For example, Stali Linux, [1] has this to say: http://sta.li/faq
> it [is] nearly impossible to use glibc for static linking in non-trivial programs.
That said, if you want to give it a shot, it's technically possible, though we don't expose it for Rust yet, due to these kinds of landmines.
I'm looking forward to using rust in a constrained embedded environment where I control 100% of the software. I don't have to worry about such problems.
Awesome, then yes, you have several advantages here :) You'll be using nightly Rust for a while, as several features that target this use case are still unstable, like inline assembly. But it's a use case we do care a lot about.
