Getting to Know Rust

A few years ago, I had reservations about the project’s maturity and its future prospects. Today, having earned my first Rust certificate, I’m excited to apply this knowledge to microprocessors and embedded Linux devices. Rust, a relatively new programming language, has rapidly gained popularity, particularly in system programming, thanks to its vibrant community.

Now that Rust has made its way into the Linux Kernel, offers robust support for Yocto Linux, and boasts various HAL crates for bare-metal embedded development, it’s a compelling language to explore and master.

In this post, I’ll show you why Rust might interest you as well.

Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash

What is Rust?

Rust is the most admired language as of 2023, according to the latest Stack Overflow survey¹.

Rust is a modern systems programming language with a focus on performance, concurrency, and memory efficiency². Created by Mozilla, it offers a unique combination of low-level control over hardware and high-level abstractions for writing safe and concurrent code. The language is known for its memory safety guarantees and zero-cost abstractions.

The Rust community is rapidly evolving the language, expanding its ecosystem, and addressing any issues or bugs that arise³. Rust has gained popularity in various domains, including system programming, web development, and more. The language is well-supported by a robust compiler and package manager, Cargo, making it easier for developers to create, share, and manage Rust projects.

However, don’t expect Rust to replace existing projects developed in C or C++, like the Linux Kernel⁴. Rust will help you develop new projects or integrate into old ones, and it has a promising future with the Rust Foundation supporting its development⁵.

Why Use Rust for System Programming?

Rust’s appeal for system programming lies in its key features:

• Memory Safety: Rust uses a strict ownership system that prevents common programming errors like null pointer dereferences and data races, ensuring program safety.
• Concurrent Programming: Rust’s ownership model enables safe and efficient concurrent programming, allowing multithreading and parallelism without data race risks.
• Performance: Rust offers similar performance to languages like C and C++ while maintaining safety. It compiles to efficient machine code, making it suitable for system-level tasks.
• Ecosystem: Rust boasts a growing ecosystem of libraries and tools, facilitating work on a wide range of projects, from operating systems to web servers.
• Community: The Rust community is known for its support and collaborative nature, with well-maintained documentation and resources, making it easier for developers to learn and grow.

In addition to its competence in system programming, Rust has also gained significant importance in the realm of embedded development⁵. Its memory safety guarantees and efficient performance make it an ideal choice for developing software on resource-constrained embedded systems as the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow.

Who uses Rust?

Rust has gained adoption in various projects and companies, thanks to its unique set of advantages. Some notable examples include:

• Mozilla: The organization behind Firefox played a pivotal role in Rust’s development and continues to use it for various projects, including parts of the Firefox browser.
• Amazon: Amazon Web Services (AWS) has started using Rust for some services, leveraging its safety and performance benefits.
• Microsoft: Microsoft is exploring Rust for system-level programming and security-critical projects, recognizing its potential in these areas.
• Red Hat: Red Hat, a prominent name in the open-source software world, is actively involved in the Rust community and is exploring its use in their products.

These are just a few examples, and the Rust ecosystem continues to grow as more companies and developers recognize its potential in a wide range of applications, including system programming, embedded development, machine learning, data processing, and other cutting-edge technologies.

Conclusion

Earning my Rust certificate has been a rewarding experience, and I’m excited to continue my journey with this powerful and innovative programming language. Rust’s commitment to safety and performance is reshaping the landscape of system programming, embedded development, and beyond. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Rust and its ever-expanding community.

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