Was Rust Worth It?

When Rust was first introduced in 2010, it promised to solve some of the most persistent problems in systems programming: memory safety, concurrency, and developer productivity. Over the years, it has steadily gained traction, finding its way into companies like Mozilla, Dropbox, and Amazon, and capturing the hearts of countless developers. But now, over a decade into its journey, a burning question remains: Was Rust worth it?

Let’s dive into the advantages, challenges, and ultimate value of adopting Rust.

Rust’s Unquestionable Strengths

1. Memory Safety Without Garbage Collection

One of Rust’s hallmark features is its ability to guarantee memory safety at compile time without needing a garbage collector. Through its ownership model, Rust prevents null pointer dereferences, use-after-free errors, and data races. This has made Rust a compelling choice for systems programming where safety and performance are paramount.

For example, in high-stakes industries like embedded systems or blockchain, Rust’s guarantees can mean the difference between catastrophic bugs and a robust application.

2. Performance Comparable to C and C++

Rust’s low-level control over memory and its zero-cost abstractions ensure that developers can achieve performance on par with C and C++. Unlike higher-level languages, Rust doesn’t compromise on speed, making it suitable for tasks like game engines, operating systems, and real-time processing.

3. Modern Developer Experience

Rust offers a modern developer experience with features like:

• A powerful type system that reduces runtime errors.
• Cargo, its built-in package manager and build system, which simplifies dependency management.
• Excellent tooling, including the rustfmt formatter and clippy linter.
• A helpful compiler that’s almost like having a second developer on your team.

4. Thriving Community and Ecosystem

Rust’s community is one of its greatest strengths. The language’s documentation, forums, and open-source culture have fostered an inclusive environment where developers can learn and contribute. The ecosystem continues to grow, with crates (Rust’s packages) for everything from web development to scientific computing.

The Challenges of Adopting Rust

1. Steep Learning Curve

Rust is not an easy language to learn. Its ownership model, while powerful, requires a significant mental shift for developers coming from languages like Python or JavaScript. Even seasoned C++ developers can find Rust’s borrow checker challenging at first.

This steep learning curve can slow down development in the early stages, especially for teams new to the language.

2. Smaller Ecosystem Compared to Established Giants

While Rust’s ecosystem is growing, it still lags behind the mature ecosystems of languages like Python, Java, or JavaScript. For certain domains, finding libraries or tools that meet specific needs can be challenging.

3. Longer Compile Times

Rust’s focus on safety and optimization comes at a cost: longer compile times. While incremental compilation and other optimizations have improved this over the years, it remains a pain point for some developers.

Was It Worth It?

For Companies

For companies that have adopted Rust, the benefits often outweigh the costs. Its safety guarantees reduce production bugs, its performance saves on infrastructure costs, and its modern tooling enhances developer productivity over the long term. Companies like Amazon have touted Rust’s impact on their ability to deliver reliable and efficient software.

For Developers

For developers, learning Rust can be a career-boosting move. Its unique combination of performance and safety makes it a sought-after skill in industries like systems programming, gaming, and blockchain. Plus, the joy of writing safe, performant code in Rust often leads to a sense of accomplishment that’s hard to replicate in other languages.

For the Industry

Rust’s influence extends beyond its direct use cases. It has set a new standard for safety and developer experience in systems programming, inspiring changes in other languages and tools. For example, even C++ has taken cues from Rust’s ownership model with features like std::unique_ptr and std::shared_ptr.

The Verdict

Was Rust worth it? For many, the answer is a resounding yes. While it’s not the perfect tool for every job, Rust has carved out a unique niche in the programming world and has delivered on many of its promises. For those willing to invest the time to learn it, Rust offers unparalleled safety, performance, and satisfaction.

So, whether you’re a developer considering learning Rust or a company weighing its adoption, the question isn’t so much whether Rust was worth it, but rather: can you afford to miss out on what it offers?