This cargo plugin is a wrapper around cargo build which installs build artifacts in a layout expected by ament and ROS 2 tools.
It can be used standalone or through colcon-ros-cargo. Its command line interface is cargo ament-build --install-base <install base> -- <cargo build args>.
What does this plugin do? - It builds or checks the package, depending on whether it contains any binaries - It copies the source code and binaries to appropriate locations in the install base - It places marker files in the ament index