What Can I Do with Rust?

Rust is a versatile programming language that combines performance, safety, and modern tooling. Its unique features make it suitable for a wide range of applications, from web services to embedded systems. Let’s explore the various domains where Rust excels.

Web Development

Rust has a growing ecosystem for web development, offering both backend and frontend solutions:

• Backend Development: Build high-performance APIs and microservices using frameworks like:

  • Actix Web - A powerful, pragmatic, and extremely fast web framework
  • Rocket - A web framework with a focus on ease of use and developer experience
  • Axum - A modern web framework built on top of Tokio

• Full-Stack Development: Create complete web applications using:

  • Yew - A modern Rust framework for creating multi-threaded frontend web apps
  • Dioxus - A React-like library for building user interfaces
  • Leptos - A full-stack framework for building web applications

System Programming

Rust’s zero-cost abstractions and memory safety make it ideal for system-level programming:

• Operating Systems: Projects like Redox OS demonstrate Rust’s capabilities in OS development
• Device Drivers: Write safe and efficient drivers for hardware components
• System Tools: Create system utilities that are both performant and secure
• Memory Management: Build custom memory allocators and garbage collectors

Embedded Systems

Rust’s no-runtime and fine-grained control make it perfect for embedded development:

• Microcontrollers: Target platforms like Arduino, STM32, and ESP32
• Real-time Systems: Build applications with predictable timing and behavior
• IoT Devices: Create secure and efficient Internet of Things applications
• Robotics: Develop control systems for robots and automated machinery

Command Line Tools

Rust’s performance and cross-platform capabilities make it excellent for CLI tools:

• System Administration: Tools like exa (modern ls replacement)
• Development Tools: ripgrep (faster than grep)
• Build Systems: cargo-make for task running
• Data Processing: Fast and efficient data manipulation tools

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Rust is gaining traction in AI/ML with its performance benefits:

• Tensor Operations: Libraries like tch-rs for PyTorch bindings
• Neural Networks: Frameworks like candle for ML
• Data Processing: High-performance data pipelines and ETL processes
• Model Serving: Efficient deployment of ML models in production

Game Development

Rust’s performance and safety features make it suitable for game development:

• Game Engines: Bevy - A refreshingly simple data-driven game engine
• Graphics Programming: Direct GPU access through wgpu
• Physics Engines: Custom physics simulations and game mechanics
• Game Tools: Asset pipelines and development utilities

Desktop Applications

Create native desktop applications with Rust:

• GUI Applications: Using frameworks like:
  • Tauri - Build smaller, faster, and more secure desktop applications
  • egui - Simple, fast, and highly portable immediate mode GUI
  • iced - A cross-platform GUI library
• System Utilities: Background services and system tray applications
• Development Tools: IDEs and code editors

Why Choose Rust?

Rust’s unique combination of features makes it an excellent choice for these domains:

• Memory Safety: Prevents common bugs like null pointer dereferences and data races
• Performance: Comparable to C/C++ with modern language features
• Cross-Platform: Write once, run anywhere with consistent behavior
• Modern Tooling: Excellent package manager (Cargo) and build system
• Growing Ecosystem: Active community and increasing library support
• Documentation: Comprehensive documentation and learning resources

Whether you’re building a web service, system tool, or embedded device, Rust provides the tools and safety guarantees to help you create robust and efficient software.