From Safety to Speed: Why Rust is Winning Over Developers Everywhere?

Rust has become one of the most loved and desired programming languages. It topped StackOverflow’s “most admired” list, with 83% of developers expressing admiration. Surveys also show that more than 80% of developers want to use Rust next year. Rust had its first stable release in 2015, and ever since then, its use has grown very fast. In the 2024 developer survey, Rust led the charts as the most desired language for the eighth year in a row. According to GitHub, Rust is among the fastest-growing languages. This growth reflects how programmers value Rust’s mix of safety and speed. Even though Rust is relatively young, its popularity keeps rising. From systems programming to modern backend solutions, even a mobile app development company can benefit from Rust’s high performance and reliability. Here, we’ll discuss why Rust is popular among developers worldwide.

What Do People Use Rust For?

• Systems Programming

A common question is “What do people use Rust for?” The answer is: almost anything that needs to be safe and fast. Rust is a general-purpose language, so it finds a home in many domains. For example, one major area is systems software. Rust is a good fit for low-level code because it has direct access to hardware and memory while avoiding bugs. Operating system projects like Redox OS and Google’s Fuchsia OS are written in Rust for this reason.

• Web Servers and CLI Tools

Rust is also popular for backend servers and command-line tools. It runs very fast and handles threads safely, making it ideal for high-performance services. Companies use Rust to build parts of their infrastructure. For instance, GitHub wrote the backend for its code search in Rust to manage large amounts of data quickly. Its async model and frameworks like Rocket allow developers to build secure, high-performance APIs, a trend similar to modern eCommerce app development approaches that require high throughput and minimal latency.

• Cryptocurrency and Blockchain

Beyond systems and servers, Rust is used in specialized fields. Cryptocurrency and blockchain projects like Polkadot are built in Rust for security and speed. Just like how FinTech app developers choose secure tech stacks for financial platforms, blockchain teams turn to Rust for its reliability. Additionally, its usage is expanding in embedded systems and IoT devices due to its small runtime and fine memory control—features essential for microcontroller-based solutions.

Safety: Rust’s Core Strength

One of Rust’s main strengths is memory safety. In languages like C or C++, mistakes such as reading or writing past the end of an array or using a freed pointer often cause crashes or security holes. Rust prevents those mistakes with its ownership model. Each value in Rust has a single owner, and rules enforced by the compiler prevent unsafe borrowing of data. This means you can’t accidentally access memory that has been freed or go past array bounds – if your code tries to do that, it won’t compile.

Because of this system, many bugs simply don’t exist in Rust programs. There are no null-pointer dereferences or data races (two threads modifying the same data at the same time). For example, in Rust, you must explicitly check for a missing value instead of assuming it exists. The result is that whole classes of errors are eliminated. Analysts say that Rust’s biggest advantage is memory safety: it “prevents buffer overflows” and data races by design. This makes Rust very reliable for critical systems.

These safety features have a real impact on production. Microsoft noted that around 70% of Windows security vulnerabilities were due to memory bugs in C/C++ code. By switching core components to Rust, they can catch those issues before the software even runs. Rust’s compiler is effectively acting as a gatekeeper: code won’t compile if it violates the safety rules. This is a big reason why companies are experimenting with Rust in secure systems.

Importantly, Rust achieves all this without sacrificing performance. It does not use a garbage collector like Java or Go. Instead, its safety checks occur at compile time. When you run a Rust program, it’s just straight machine code with no hidden runtime work to clean memory. This means Rust programs don’t pause or slow down unpredictably. You get the speed of C++ plus the safety of a checked language. Finally, Rust wins on the safety front by reducing bugs and making software more secure, and it does so without slowing things down.

Speed and Performance

• Zero‑Cost Abstractions

Rust was made to be fast. It compiles down to native machine code, so a well-written Rust program runs as quickly as C or C++. The language offers modern features (like pattern matching and generics) that don’t add overhead. In fact, Rust has zero-cost abstractions, meaning you can use high-level constructs without paying a runtime price. The compiler optimizes everything, so you get concise, expressive code that performs very well.

In practice, Rust often outperforms languages with garbage collection. For example, Microsoft rewrote a graphics component of Windows in Rust and saw performance improve by around 5 to 15% over the original C++ version. Other teams report similar wins. Game developers use Rust for this reason: they get safe code that still runs frame by frame in real time. Benchmarks show Rust programs beating Java, Python, or even C# on CPU-heavy tasks.

Game developers and performance-focused engineers appreciate how Rust delivers real-time results without garbage collection pauses—similar to virtual try-on app development, where milliseconds count in user interaction.

• Multithreading and Concurrency

Rust also excels at multithreading. Because the language enforces safe data access, writing parallel code is easier and safer. You can spawn multiple threads to use all CPU cores without worrying that two threads will corrupt the same data. This lets Rust applications scale well across multiple CPUs. High-traffic web servers, big data processing, and scientific simulations benefit from this. In those scenarios, Rust achieves high throughput while avoiding the crashes or race bugs that other languages might suffer.

• WebAssembly and Embedded Targets

Rust can also target WebAssembly (WASM), so you can run Rust code in a web browser for speed-critical tasks. That lets developers write heavy parts of a web app in Rust instead of JavaScript. On small devices, Rust produces lean binaries. Microcontrollers or IoT devices written in Rust often have very small footprints and run operations quickly.

In short, if you need speed, Rust delivers it. It combines low-level control with modern conveniences, giving you code that can do more work in less time. This is why projects that “need to go fast” often choose Rust – it offers high performance without sacrificing safety.

Comparing Rust with Other Languages

• Rust vs C++

Rust fills a niche between languages like C++ and higher-level languages like Python or Go. Developers often compare Rust to these languages when deciding what to use. Rust gives you power like C++ (direct memory control, low-level access) but it prevents many of C++’s mistakes.

• Rust vs Python

Compared to Python, Rust gives up Python’s interpreter and many runtime checks, but it runs much faster and provides static type safety. Compared to Go, Rust has no garbage collector pause and offers more fine-grained control, but it still tries to be relatively easy to use.

To give a concrete example: many Raspberry Pi projects use either Python and Raspberry Pi together (for ease of use) or C++ and Raspberry Pi (for speed). Rust works on Raspberry Pi as well, so it offers a middle ground. You get code that is as fast as a C++ program, but Rust’s safety rules mean it’s less likely to crash or have hidden bugs. Someone might write a Raspberry Pi hobby robot in Rust and get performance close to C++, without worrying about pointer errors.

• Rust vs Go

Rust also competes with languages like Go or JavaScript. Go is popular for servers, but it has a garbage collector that can cause pauses. Rust’s approach avoids pauses and can match Go’s ease of use (with no runtime GC). JavaScript/TypeScript rule web frontends, but for backend APIs where performance matters, teams might choose Rust. You won’t replace Python or JS completely, but Rust becomes attractive when you need more throughput or reliability.

Industry Use: Microsoft and Beyond

• Microsoft’s Use Cases

Big tech companies have embraced Rust in recent years. Microsoft, in particular, has integrated Rust into its stack. Engineers rewrote parts of Windows and its graphics libraries in Rust to eliminate old bugs. For example, an internal update to Windows that was previously in C++ has been moved to Rust, and Microsoft reported that the Rust version had comparable or better performance. Microsoft’s Azure cloud team even declared that new projects should prefer Rust over C or C++.

• Google’s Fuchsia and Android Components

Google is another leader in Rust. The Fuchsia operating system, which underpins some Google devices, is built using Rust. Google’s Android team and cloud platform also use Rust in selected components (for example, parts of the Android framework have been rewritten in Rust to improve security). Amazon Web Services, Facebook, Dropbox, and other tech giants all have teams using Rust for performance-critical services.

Even outside big tech, industries are turning to Rust. Automotive companies use Rust for safe control software. Space and aerospace industries evaluate Rust for satellite systems. The fact is, any field that needs rock-solid code is considering Rust.

Comparing Rust with Other Languages

Rust fills a niche between languages like C++ and higher-level languages like Python or Go. Developers often compare Rust to these languages when deciding what to use. Rust gives you the power of C++ (direct memory control, low-level access) but prevents many of C++’s common mistakes.

Rust Language Comparison Table

Rust Hacking: Security and Malware

Rust’s popularity has also appeared in the security world, in both defense and offense. Some cybersecurity professionals use Rust to write better scanning tools and security software because it’s fast and reliable. But attackers have noticed Rust’s advantages too. The term “Rust hacking” sometimes refers to how hackers are using Rust for malicious code.

Studies show that many new ransomware and malware families are now written in Rust. One reason is that Rust compiles to optimized, hard-to-read binaries. Analysts note that “Rust compilers make it very complex to reverse engineer” a program. That makes it a good choice for someone trying to hide what their code does. Examples include a malware tool nicknamed RustRAT and a wiper called “Rustruck,” which can destroy data on infected systems. Reports say about 10–15% of today’s ransomware attacks are coded in Rust.

Rust can also compile to WebAssembly (WASM), making it ideal for browser-based apps needing speed. It also produces lean binaries for embedded systems, mirroring the performance-first approach of the top automotive app development companies that rely on robust and fast technologies.

The takeaway is that Rust’s influence is broad. Its design for writing robust, efficient code means that whether someone is protecting a system or attacking one, Rust is on the table as a tool. This underscores again that Rust is winning a place in many developer toolkits, even controversial ones like hacking tools.

Final Words

Rust’s path from focusing on memory safety to delivering blazing performance has captured developers everywhere. Today, Rust code runs in operating systems, large services, small devices, and more. It has been shown that you can write software without many of the crashes or bugs common in other low-level languages. Surveys and real-world projects back this up: as companies and engineers see Rust’s benefits, its use only grows.

Looking to harness the power of Rust for your next software project? Whether you’re developing a high-performance backend, secure system software, or an embedded application, Rust delivers unmatched memory safety and speed. At Appic Softwares, our expert developers specialize in building robust Rust-based solutions tailored to your business needs.

Let’s bring your vision to life with the power of Rust. Contact us today to get started!

FAQs

1. What are the main benefits of Rust for a Rust developer?

Rust offers strong memory safety without a garbage collector, zero‑cost abstractions for high performance, and a strict type system that catches errors at compile time. These benefits of Rust help developers build reliable, efficient software for systems, web services, embedded devices, and more.

2. How can someone begin learning Rust programming?

Anyone can start learning Rust by following the official “Rust book.” New Rust developers often join the community on forums and Discord, use online tutorials, and read blog posts to reinforce concepts and see how Rust code works in real‑world scenarios.

3. What is a Rust fork, and how does it impact Rust language popularity?

A Rust fork is a copy of the compiler or a library repository that developers modify independently. Forks allow experimentation; teams might create a custom toolchain or test new features before they merge back. Well‑maintained forks can drive innovation and contribute to overall Rust language popularity by introducing improvements and attracting more use in different “Rust land” projects.

Aditi Pareek

Aditi Pareek is a content strategist at Appic Softwares. She writes blog posts about web and mobile apps. Her recent...