The choice of programming language can make or break a project. If the developer fails to choose the right language, unforeseen obstacles might result in failure. Choosing the wrong programming language continues to cost developers and companies time and money.
Rust is a programming language that is often underrated and under-utilized because of its young age. On the contrary, Rust has a number of beneficial applications that many large tech companies are taking advantage of.
Read on to see why Rust is a language worth learning
What is Rust?
Initially established by a Mozzila developer, Rust can be described as a multi-paradigm, general-purpose programming language. With a similar syntax structure to C++, some developers struggle to adapt to the learning curve of Rust without a strong coding background in C or C++. Critics of Rust also point out the low number of open-source projects initiated by the company.
Regardless, Rust is lauded as providing superior memory protection and high performance to developers. It is becoming widely used in the IT sector and has seen a surge in popularity.
How can Rust boost your project?
Rust’s benefits
Rust is capable of executing both high-level and low-level tasks. This flexibility makes Rust perfect for multi-level programming and allows developers to perform hardware tasks easily.
Data Integrity
Arguably Rust’s strongest priority is data protection. If memory integrity threatens the success of the project, using Rust will minimize the risk. Users will be able to operate in safe mode, where memory is protected and software is unaffected by bugs or vulnerabilities during development.
Performance
Rust is a high-performance language that doesn’t sacrifice speed for data integrity. It has no runtime and no automatic memory space optimization. If necessary, it can access memory directly, greatly increasing program performance.
Developers can operate in unsafe mode if they find that safe mode is too inflexible. In unsafe mode, a developer’s code has the potential to cause bugs and even hardware failure, so it should be used with caution.
Concurrency
Concurrent errors are problems that arise at the same time between programs. Rust solves many of these concurrent errors as they are identified during compiling, making programs easier to develop. Rust also eliminates data races, which are elusive and damaging concurrency errors. Rust’s ownership feature only permits a single mutable reference to a data file at any one time. Thus, programs compiled with Rust don’t race each other for data.
Rust is cross-platform
Windows, Linux, and macOS all provide Rust support, greatly increasing the interoperability of developers throughout the tech sector.
For information on the Rust language’s multiplatform support, read their published information at https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/rustc/platform-support.html
Companies using Rust
The following examples underscore the highly-varied application of the Rust programming language in professional development environments
- Mozilla
The company whose employee created Rust has used it to develop software, including the CSS engine used in the Mozilla Firefox browser.
- Android
A mobile operating system purposed towards touchscreen and mobile devices, Android is working to bring Rust functionality to its open-source project.
- AWS (Amazon Web Services)
Amazon uses AWS to provide cloud and API support to its customers. The company has used rust to develop APIs that provide simple storage, cloud computing, and much more.
- Iqlusion
Iqlusion uses Rust to build software that provides the technical infrastructure to cryptocurrency systems and crypto-key security.
Should you use Rust?
Choose Rust if you prioritize control, performance, and memory integrity. Rust is frequently used for:
- Embedded systems, OS, and microcontrollers: Many systems restrict the execution of languages from altering firmware of hardware-designated values. Rust has total control over hardware and memory, eliminating level restrictions on low-level applications.
- Kernel driver development: Linux uses Rust as its second-official programming language due to its superior memory integrity features.
- Replacement software parts: A foreign-function interface allows Rust to act as a secondary development environment for applications written using C without rewriting the program.
Although underrated, Rust has the potential to benefit you and your projects by providing you a fast, protected, and multi-leveled development environment. Rust has evolved solutions to the traditional concerns affecting C and C++. The increasing adoption of Rust by large IT companies can be considered an indication of its merits and should motivate any potential developer to learn the language in preparation.