Rust vs C++: Which is Better & Why?

Rust Programming Language 

Rust is a general-purpose programming language that may be used to create a variety of internal systems as well as systems programming, such as operating system kernels. Since 2015, the language has been in a stable version, and it is quickly gaining popularity among programmers. In terms of features, this language is equivalent to C++, but it is superior in terms of security. It improves the implementation of different limiting methods, especially when dealing with memory.

The three basic concepts of this global programming language developed by Mozilla are speed, safety, and ergonomics. Its creators openly admit that it is one of the most likely successors to C/C++. According to a StackOverflow poll, Rust is the most popular language among developers today.

Comparison of Rust with C++

Rust’s designers believe it to be the successor of C++, which was created in the early 1980s as a result of a developer’s enhancements to the C language. As a result, it’s worthwhile to contrast the fresh and continuously evolving language with the tried and tested.
●  Remote memory access: In C++, removing a variable might result in a variety of issues. Because there are no instructions for removing memory in Rust, such difficulties are not feasible. The descendant compiler will notice a mistake in the code you generated, and the C++ compiler will display the result without the deleted values, without even noting the problem.

●  Semicolon: In C++, adding an extra semicolon will result in an error, whereas in Rust, the loop body is contained in curly brackets.

●  Unsafe code: The “unsafe” label in Rust separates the main code from the unsafe code. This helps you to narrow down the search for vulnerabilities in the future while studying the code.

Firefox was written in C++, a fanciful language that necessitated greater attention to detail. Otherwise, the mistakes would have resulted in major security flaws. Rust was developed to resolve this issue.

Rust’s Surge in Popularity

These days, there are a variety of new programming languages to choose from. Here are a few features that make Rust stand out from the crowd.

●  A true system programming language: Rust has swept the world of systems development. It’s already available on a few platforms, and it works with a variety of browsers and rendering engines to swiftly replace C/C++ code on production systems. It’s a programming language that’s used to create operating systems. Making a new browser or device driver isn’t for everyone, but Rust is quickly gaining traction in other areas.

●  Security: Rust’s most significant advantage over other programming languages is its security. This can be accomplished, for example, by error handling. The appropriately titled “panic!” macro is run whenever an error occurs during compilation that cannot be resolved. This cleans up the mess and displays an error notice, ensuring that no harm is done.

●  Memory management: Rust’s memory management is also thought to be exceptionally safe. Rust’s advantage is that it ensures memory safety without the use of a garbage collector. Memory has been a common target for hackers in a variety of computer languages for years. When a memory space fills up, it creates a flaw in the system that can be exploited. A “garbage collector” guarantees that items that are no longer needed will vanish from memory. This, however, slows down the code’s execution. The “garbage collector” is rendered obsolete by the Rust compiler. Instead, it is examined during compilation to see whether there are any memory issues.

●  High performance: The robust security features do not come at the price of performance in this case. Rust is a system programming language that executes at the same pace as C/C++. This is due to the lack of a garbage collector and zero cost abstractions, which ensure excellent runtime speeds. The concept simply indicates that you may program abstractly without having to accept any performance sacrifice in exchange for this convenience.

●  Advanced high-level constructs in a low-level language: Rust, like C/C++, is very close to the hardware, ensuring fast performance, but it can also be coded reasonably quickly, as is typical of high-level languages. Rust, while being a general-purpose programming language, has numerous high-level features, such as algebraic data types, pattern matching, characteristics, type inference, and so on.

●  Without null: A typical cause of runtime issues is a null object/pointer. Only a few programming languages, primarily functional languages, are devoid of null. To get rid of null, you’ll need an extremely sophisticated type of system. An algebraic data type and pattern matching are typically required to handle this at the syntactic level of the language.

●  Rust’s community continues to develop: The Rust community is incredibly active and welcoming. Furthermore, Rust has been utilized in a number of major practical projects, including the Rust compiler, Servo, Skylight, and others, all of which are still in the language development stage. Iron, a concurrent web framework, and cgmath, a linear algebra and computer graphics library, are among the Rust web frameworks under active development.

Why Should You Learn Rust?

Rust uses static typing and tries to avoid null pointer and stack overflow issues as much as possible at runtime. The language sits between low-level languages such as C and high-level languages such as Java. Rust achieves a high degree of abstraction by integrating diverse programming paradigms, and instead of a garbage collector, it leverages a type system prevalent in functional languages for memory management. CLI tools, web assemblies, and network services may all benefit from the language.

Rust is a C and C++ alternative that aims to avoid numerous runtime threats and bugs. Since Rust is still a young language, various tools and libraries are still missing. This might soon change, according to AWS’ declaration that it aims to get more involved in the development of the increasingly popular programming language. Other major companies, such as Microsoft and Meta, are also investing in Rust’s development. 

References

1. Wróbel, K. (2022, 25 March). Why is Rust programming language so popular?. Codilime.
2. Müller, K. (2021, 17 Nov.). A not so short introduction to the Rust programming language. Towards Data Science.
3. Turon, A. (2015, 10 Apr.). Fearless concurrency with Rust. Rust Blog.

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