10 Ways to Use Rust Programming Language in 2024
The foundation of technology and its advancement rely on the excellence of programming and development. The dramatic shift of day-to-day activities toward digital means is a testament to the spectacular growth of computer systems and software. This excellence would have never occurred without programming technologies like Rust.
With a variety of programming languages for various functionalities, we can enjoy effortless working and convenient business operations. Rust is one of the programming languages that gained immense popularity in a brief time thanks to its simplicity, concurrency, memory management, etc.
This article is a guiding light to facilitate you explore the programming possibilities with Rust. You will learn the top 10 ways to make the best out of Rust programming language in 2024.
What Is Rust?
Rust is one of the most renowned programming languages of the modern times. If you are unfamiliar with Rust, here is a quick overview to enlighten your mind toward a more reliable and industry-standard programming experience.
You will read this article through your digital device, which may be your computer or mobile device. Since every system needs an operating system to run software and applications, you will use popular OS, such as Windows, iOS, Linux, etc. Developing such software systems for the functionality of your device needs system programming language, and that’s when Rust comes to the rescue.
Rust is a systems programming language developers love for its matchless safety, efficient performance, and effective memory management. It has pushed the boundaries of programming experience, offering enhanced ergonomics and data security. Thus, Rust is a modern and productive alternative to systems programming languages, including C and C++.
Why Is It So Popular?
Created in 2006 by Mozilla and published in 2015, Rust has become one of the most popular languages among developers globally. According to StackOverflow’s Annual Developer Survey of 2022, Rust is one of the most loved, dreaded, and wanted technologies; over 87% of developers plan to use it.
Several factors contribute to the popularity of Rust. Rust does not use nulls, resulting in fewer coding bugs and making it a modern alternative to C++. The Rust Foundation’s backing is another factor in the substantial popularity of the Rust programming language.
With community-based working, developers can enjoy adequate resources and support. This turns Rust into a favorite option for developers as it has everything it needs for systems developers to create robust software. The superior memory management of Rust is a unique point for developers.
10 Use Cases of Rust Programming Language in 2024
Despite the unparalleled popularity of Rust programming language, it is not among the 5 top used programming languages as per SlashData’s Q1 2024 survey. JavaScript, Java, Python, and C# are top choices for developers.
It reflects that developers have not yet explored the top-notch usage of Rust. It is what this article will guide you by highlighting the ten compelling use cases of Rust programming language in 2024.
1. System Programming
In this value age where digital transformation has taken over, system programming needs stringent features. System programmers favor a programming language that prioritizes safety protocols and quick run times. It is when Rust programming language comes in handy.
As a safety-first programming language, Rust is a go-to option for system developers. Rust enables developers to bring matchless security to the operating system with a memory safety feature. It is also suitable for programmers bored of common bugs, such as null pointer dereferences and buffer overflows.
2. Web Development
When it comes to web development, JavaScript and Python are developers’ favorite choices. However, the unparalleled exploration of Rust by web developers translates to an excellent future for Rust in the web development landscape.
Rust’s bug-free and better run-time features are unique selling points for the systems programming language. Rust doesn’t rely on garbage-collectors, resulting in improved performance of developed web applications.
3. Network Programming
The widespread global use of the Internet is a testament to how networks have evolved. Network programming is vital in this advancement, making Rust an excellent choice for developers.
You can use Rust programming language for network development because it amalgamates high-speed performance with tamper-proof security. Several use cases of Rust in network programming include asynchronous networking, HTTP network development, etc.
4. Game Development
Coding a game is lucrative for developers, making it a widely used programming area. Though game developers love using C and C++, Rust is becoming the next big thing for programming games.
The similar working mechanism of Rust with C and C++ makes it an effortless adoption choice for programmers. Enhanced security and lack of garbage collectors are distinctive to the Rust programming language.
5. Data Science Backend
Data science is another vital area for using Rust. Though data scientists use Python and R for data analytics, Rust will soon become the go-to option due to global regulatory approaches to combat data theft and breaches.
The unmatched memory security that developers can enjoy with Rust is the need of the hour for implementing performance-critical algorithms, creating data processing pipelines, and safe data visualization tools.
6. Machine Learning
Machine learning is the core technology for driving artificial intelligence to new heights of performance and functionality. Developers find Rust programming language a distinctive option for secure and efficient ML applications.
With Rust’s concurrent mechanisms, handling multiple threads has become achievable for ML developers. Thus, memory safety coupled with high performance are drawing developers towards Rust.
7. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
AR and VR technologies are vital for metaverse and web3 innovations. Statista suggests that the AR and VR market users will reach a staggering value of 3,728 million in 2029. Given this substantial market size, developers must adopt a reputable and high-performance programming language for AR and VR applications.
Rust is the most suitable choice for developers in the AR and VR domain. With adequate memory safety and low-level control of Rust, working in the AR and VR area takes less time than ever.
8. Industrial Automation
The effective concurrency of Rust programming language is the driving force behind industrial automation. Since automation uses AI technology to perform tasks simultaneously, Rust easily handles concurrency on the backend, streamlining business automation.
Moreover, controlling complex systems is another critical area of industrial automation. With Rust’s low-level control and high latency, developers can create this feature effortlessly.
9. Cryptography
With blockchain technology gaining traction in the form of cryptocurrency, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and web3 technology, cryptography is essential for securing sensitive user data.
Rust has a reputable use case in cryptography thanks to its memory safety and data control. Rust’s RustCrypto is an efficient library for substantially implementing various cryptographic algorithms.
10. Embedded Systems
Embedded systems add to the functionality of computer systems with an extra ecosystem for specified tasks. In various industries, such as healthcare, consumer electronics, telecommunications, etc., embedded systems are highly productive.
Rust programming language has the best use case in developing and deploying embedded systems. It is gaining extensive popularity for programming embedded systems due to its ownership model, concurrency, and high performance in resource-constrained environments.
Final Words
Rust is a popular systems programming language that has multiple use cases. With various features that bring convenience to programming for developers, Rust is the go-to option for systems development, game and network development, machine learning programming, etc.
So far, multiple industry giants are advocates of Rust programming language by using Rust in their applications, including Facebook, Discord, Microsoft, and others. Facebook rewrote the entire backend system with Rust, and Discord employed Rust on the client and server end for scaling.
Thus, you can start with Rust as your next programming language, keeping its widespread use cases in mind.