Rust
A systems language guaranteeing memory safety without a garbage collector.
CurrentadvancedGuide only -- no course yet
Overview
Rust achieves C/C++-level performance while eliminating whole classes of memory bugs (use-after-free, data races) at compile time through its ownership and borrowing system, enforced by the compiler rather than a garbage collector at runtime.
- What it is
- A statically-typed, compiled systems language whose compiler enforces memory safety via ownership rules.
- Why it's used
- For performance-critical software that also needs strong memory-safety guarantees -- browser engines, CLI tools, and increasingly parts of operating systems.
- Where it fits
- After some experience with a statically-typed language (C/C++ helps, but isn't required) -- the ownership model is Rust's steepest learning curve.
Core concepts
- Ownership and borrowing
- Lifetimes
- The Result/Option types (no null, no exceptions)
- Traits
Example
&str is a borrowed reference, not an owned value -- Rust's compiler tracks who owns which data and for how long, catching memory bugs before the program ever runs.
fn greet(name: &str) -> String {
format!("Hello, {}!", name)
}
fn main() {
println!("{}", greet("world"));
}Common use cases
- Systems programming with safety guarantees
- CLI tools
- WebAssembly modules
- Performance-critical services
Project ideas
- A small CLI tool that reads and processes a text file