Rust

Avoid tech rust by employing the Rust language

Rust might be something you want to avoid on your automobile, but your business would do well allowing this multi-paradigm programming language to spread through your technology. This language was designed for performance and safety with a special concentration on safe concurrency.

Rust was originally developed in 2006 by Graydon Hoare of Mozilla. Originally, Hoare created the initial compiler in OCaml but very soon shifted it to an LLVM-based, self-hosting compiler named rustc, which itself was written in Rust.

One of the biggest advantages of Rust, especially when applied to large collaborative projects, is that the compiler plays a gatekeeper and will refuse to compile code that contains elusive bugs (including concurrency bugs). Because of this, your teams can spend their time focusing on program logic, instead of bug testing.

Rust has also introduced several modern developer tools to the landscape, such as:

Cargo – the Rust dependency manager and built tool used for adding, compiling, and managing dependencies.
Rustfmt – ensures a consistent coding style across teams.
Rust Language Server – allows for the integration of various Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) for code completion and inline error messages.

Over the past couple of years, Rust has become incredibly popular. So popular that it’s being worked into the Linux kernel (the biggest open-source project on the planet). Why? Because Rust goes to great lengths to overcome specific issues other languages struggle with.

One thing Rust does is use static typing to get out of the engineer’s way while encouraging long-term code maintainability at the same time. This is quite the departure from many statically-typed languages that place the onus on the developer to repeat variable types multiple times. This tactic hinders both readability and refactoring.

Other statically-typed languages use whole-program type inference, which is quite convenient during the development phase. However, this type of language reduces the compiler’s ability to provide useful information about type matching errors.

Rust finds a happy medium between these 2 types to create a very developer-friendly language.

Rust also gives the engineer the choice of storing data on the stack or on the heap and can determine at compile-time when memory will no longer be needed. This makes garbage collection incredibly efficient.

Rust Developers Hiring Guide

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What can you do with Rust?

When considering adding Rust into your development pipeline, this is the most important question you can ask. The answer? Almost anything. Rust can be used for:

Web
Games
Operating systems
GUIs
Blockchain

Some of the biggest Rust projects include:

Rocket - highly customizable web development framework.
Bevy - a very popular game engine.
Theseus - a modern operating system.
Druid - an experimental Rust-native UI toolkit.
OpenEthereum - one of the fastest, most secure Ethereum clients.
Firecracker - an open-source virtualization technology for creating and managing secure, multi-tenant container and function-based services.

Rust runs the gamut of possibility.

Why you should be using Rust

Outside of the seemingly limitless possibilities, what other reasons are there that could persuade you to jump on the Rust train? Let’s take a look.

Ideal for embedded programming

Rust is fast and requires very low overhead, which makes it ideal for embedded systems. And because Rust allows for developers to find bugs early on in the process, it helps to prevent issues later on with IoT and other devices. To make this even more appealing, Rust allows for almost all types of abstractions, all of which will compile without affecting the performance of your code.
Great for web applications

In this modern age of technology and consumerism, your business can’t afford to miss out on the web application bandwagon. Any development team familiar with using Java or Python for web applications will feel right at home with Rust. Rust can also be compiled into WebAssembly, for near-native performance. With Rust you can also compile nearly any language into WebAssembly, making it perfect for creating efficient and portable code that can immediately run online.
Cross-platform development

For any company looking to develop for just about any known platform (web, mobile, desktop, and server), Rust might well be the perfect language for you. You can build applications for Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, iOS, and numerous embedded and edge systems.
Rust offers a wide ecosystem

Because Rust’s popularity has skyrocketed, it enjoys a vast ecosystem of tools, frameworks, and libraries. On top of that, there are plenty of Rust-specific conferences to attend, such as RustConf, RustBelt, and RustConf, RustFest, where your developers can learn even more about the language.
Other reasons to use Rust

Here are a few other benefits of employing Rust in your company’s development pipeline:

Ideal language for performance-centric applications.
Outstanding at processing massive amounts of data.
Gives you better control over resource allocation.
Optimal language when memory safety is key.
Rust also has numerous optimizations, due to stronger pointer aliasing rules.
Includes a built-in package manager.

Hiring Guide
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What Is Rust?

Rust is an open-source programming language that has a number of qualities such as safety and high performance, similar to C++. However, Rust offers some advantages over C++, such as user-friendly syntax and memory management, and safety without the use of garbage collection. Additional qualities and features include:

Concurrency
No segfaults
Parallelism
Zero-cost abstractions

There are many different applications for Rust, from operating systems to virtual reality (VR) to blockchain to gaming. Given its popularity, Rust has an enormous community that offers plenty of assistance with troubleshooting and provides advice and resources to fellow developers and enthusiasts. There are a number of frameworks and other tools available to aid development in the Rust ecosystem, too.

How Difficult Is It to Find a Skilled Rust Developer?

In 2019, GitHub named Rust the second-fastest-growing language on the site, having risen 235% in usage from the year earlier. And, of course, it has the distinction of being the most-loved language, as rated by developers on Stack Overflow.

This might suggest that it’s relatively easy to find a Rust developer, given its popularity. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple.

While many developers are eager to work with Rust, fewer actually have the requisite experience with the language. The learning curve is fairly steep, so it can be a difficult language to master. In fact, some developers describe it as the most complex language to learn out there.

That’s not to say it’s an impossible task — finding a talented Rust developer, that is. Because so many developers are enthusiastic about the language, there is a fair number that has experimented with it, and even more who are willing to learn it. There are also some who are already comfortable and skilled in Rust.

What to Look for in a Rust Developer

Of course, if you’re in search of a Rust developer, you probably don’t want to limit your search to those who are excited about learning the language — you want someone who has already worked with Rust. That’s probably the no. 1 quality on your list. You should also look for developers with experience in other languages, such as Java, C++, Python, and others.

A developer with strong teaching skills will be useful, too, so they can educate other team members on how to use this complex language. Soft skills, such as problem-solving, collaboration, and communication, are beneficial as well.

What sets Rust apart from other languages?

Rust combines elements of several other programming languages, although it was not based on any of them, making it a wholly unique language in and of itself. Memory safety is one defining feature of Rust. The language achieves this without garbage collection. It also offers incredibly high performance, readable and easily executed syntax, and much more. Rust is less prone to defects and bugs, making it safer overall.

What are some defining features of Rust?

Rust offers a number of features, including:

Error management
Error notifications
Guaranteed memory safety
Minimal runtime
Move semantics
Pattern matching
Type safety
Zero-cost abstractions

When should you use Rust?

Rust has a number of applications. Blockchain systems are one example of technology that benefits from the language. Many operating systems use Rust, too — some are even written in the language, like Redox. Although not one of its main applications, game engines also sometimes leverage Rust. And the backend of web applications is often written in the language, too.

Ultimately, Rust is such a safe and high-performance language that it’s used in a vast array of projects, particularly those that demand these qualities.

When should you use Rust over C++ and vice versa?

Rust is often compared to C++. But the 2 languages diverge on a number of points. Rust is often used in place of its alternative when memory safety is vital, as well as when you want to avoid undefined behavior. It’s also a solid choice if concurrency is a priority. Plus, when both languages are fairly difficult to learn, Rust is considered the more accessible of the 2.

Meanwhile, there are some instances in which C++ is a better choice. For example, if you want plenty of tools like frameworks and libraries to help solve problems, you’ll find more options with C++, although Rust has some available. Game development is somewhat easier in C++ as well.

What is Cargo?

Cargo is Rust’s package manager. Most programs written in Rust leverage Cargo. It has a number of uses including downloading and handling dependencies, downloading and building libraries, creating packages for distribution, and uploading these packages to the Rust package registry, called crates.io.

We are looking for an experienced, skilled Rust developer to lead blockchain and other critical projects as needed. You will be tasked with building products from the ground up and scaling and improving existing software.

Responsibilities

Design and program new software
Research and document requirements
Meet with stakeholders and communicate regularly
Improve existing software as needed
Test and debug code
Mentor junior developers
Collaborate with team members

Skills And Qualifications

At least 4 years experience working with Rust
Experience with C/C++
Familiarity with GraphQL
Prior experience working on blockchain projects
Enthusiasm for Rust
Collaboration skills
Written and verbal communication skills
Bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field

Conclusion

Rust is everywhere and it’s only going to continue to rise in popularity. So if your business is looking to expand its development game, you can’t go wrong with Rust. Build outstanding web applications, mobile apps, desktop GUIs, operating systems, and embedded systems with a fast, security-focused, and simple-to-learn language that includes a smart compiler to help create bug-free binaries. What’s not to love about that?