Why Rust ?

Table of Contents

It’s a question that I’ve been asked a lot lately, and I think it’s worth looking into. Rust is a systems programming language that runs blazingly fast, prevents segfaults, and guarantees thread safety. It’s a language that’s been around for a while, but it’s only recently started to gain popularity. After all it has made it to 14 in the TIOBE index It is the most admired language in Stack Overflow Survery for 2024

…. So why Rust? Why now? …..

Some of the core language features that make sense are here . If you actively use it for a product, you find that

Advantages:

  • It is as fast as C, C++ for all systems programming tasks.. Yes, It is. :-)
  • Memory safety is way better that even C, C++. Most folks will not believe it until they use it.
  • A very strict compiler that enforces Memory Efficiency and fixes bugs at compile time.
  • A really good package manager cargo that makes it easy to manage dependencies. A large ecosystem of 3rd party libraries in crates.io
  • Once you get past the learning curve, you will find that it is a very productive language. that allows you to focus on the high level features, the architecture and the design of the system
  • Rust Has entered the Linux Kernel Planet
  • Great community

Downsides:

  • The learning curve is steep. It is not a language that you can pick up in a weekend.
  • The compiler is very strict. Some folks may not like it but it is a feature, not a bug.
  • Most of the 3rd party libraries are not as mature as those in C, C++ or Python… but they are getting there.
  • Threading , Async is not as simple as go. The structure is really good with Tokio but not very easy to use
  • Evolution continues ……

Conclusion:

Given that the Big tech companies’ use of rust is on the rise, if you look at the Rust Foundation and the Rust Foundation Blog, it is clear that Rust is here to stay. It is a language that is going to be around for a while.

Tools:

Install , Learn , Play and Contribute to the Rust Ecosystem.

Have fun !!