Rust

A compiled systems programming language with no garbage collector, installed through the rustup toolchain manager.

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Package managers

About Rust

Rust is a programming language aimed at software that needs to be both fast and reliable. It has no runtime or garbage collector, and its type system and ownership model catch memory-safety and thread-safety bugs at compile time.

The toolchain includes an integrated package manager and build tool, an auto-formatter and editor support with completion and type inspection, and the compiler is known for detailed error messages. It is used for command-line tools, WebAssembly modules, network services and embedded devices.

Strengths

  • Memory and thread safety checked at compile time
  • No garbage collector, suited to performance-critical and embedded work
  • Integrated package manager, build tool and formatter
  • Helpful compiler error messages

Limitations

  • Ownership model takes time to learn
  • Compile times can be long on large projects

Details

Pricing
FreeFree and open source.
License
MIT OR Apache-2.0
Developer
The Rust Project
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
How it runs
Downloadable app
Account
Not required
Works offline
Yes
Best suited for
Programmers writing fast, reliable CLI tools, services or low-level code
Categories
Developer tools
Last verified
Added
Provenance
Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.

Alternatives to Rust

Compare all

Software that can replace Rust for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.

  • Go

    An open-source compiled programming language from Google with built-in concurrency and a module system.

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    Go offers fast compilation and built-in concurrency with a smaller language to learn, but uses a garbage collector, making it less suited to hard real-time work.

  • Zig

    A general-purpose systems programming language and toolchain that also works as a drop-in C/C++ compiler.

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    Zig is a systems language that doubles as a drop-in C/C++ compiler with easy cross-compilation, but it is still pre-1.0 with expected breaking changes.

  • Swift

    A general-purpose, compiled programming language and toolchain available for Linux, macOS and Windows.

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    Swift is a compiled language with strong safety guarantees and toolchains for Linux, macOS and Windows, though much of its library ecosystem targets Apple platforms.

  • OCaml

    A functional programming language with a strong static type system and a native-code compiler.

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    OCaml offers a strong static type system with a native-code compiler and interactive toplevel, but has a smaller library ecosystem and a functional style to learn.

Rust as an alternative

Listings that name Rust as an alternative.

  • .NET

    Microsoft's free, open-source, cross-platform runtime and SDK for building apps in C#, F# and Visual Basic.

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    Rust replaces the garbage-collected .NET runtime with a compiled language that checks memory safety at compile time, with an integrated package manager, though its ownership model takes time to learn.

  • Kotlin

    A concise, multiplatform programming language from JetBrains for backend, Android, web and desktop apps.

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    Rust drops the garbage collector and JVM for compile-time memory safety, with Cargo built in, at the cost of an ownership model that takes time to learn.

Similar software

Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.

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