Go vs Rust: An Unbiased Comparison
Programming is one of the most exciting fields out there with a limitless range of languages to choose from. While choosing the right programming language for your project can be tricky, it is essential to pick the one that can handle your project needs effectively.
Go and Rust are two popular programming languages that have gained immense popularity in recent times because of their superior features. In this comprehensive comparison, we'll pit Go vs Rust and see which language suits your project more.
Background
Go, also known as Golang, is an open-source, statically typed, and compiled programming language developed by Google in 2007. On the other hand, Rust is a modern programming language developed by Mozilla in 2009, targeted towards offering high speed, memory safety, and concurrency.
Syntax
Go employs C-style syntax and has a similar structure to ease new users. It is less complex and features concise syntax. On the other hand, Rust's syntax is a bit more complex than Go, but the compiler can catch errors in the code's early stages, making the programming language safer.
Performance
When it comes to performance, Rust seems to outshine Go by offering blazing-fast execution times, especially in resource-intensive and mission-critical systems. Rust's performance boosts come from its low-level control, making it an ideal choice for systems programming.
Go, on the other hand, provides uniform performance on a vast range of projects. It employs goroutines, which facilitate high concurrency levels and can handle thousands of requests simultaneously.
Community and Support
Google develops Go, and a massive open-source community backs it, providing extensive documentation and online resources for assistance. Rust, on the other hand, also has a large community of developers who contribute and maintain open-source libraries, crate repositories, and supportive forums.
Safety & Concurrency
When it comes to memory safety and concurrency, Rust surpasses Go. Rust's unique ownership model ensures secure memory management, preventing developers from writing insecure code in the rust ecosystem.
On the other side, Go offers an attractive model for concurrent programming known as goroutines, which allows developers to run multiple functions simultaneously. This model encourages developers to embrace concurrency, creating robust applications with much less effort.
Popularity
Go has a stellar record of beating popular programming languages like C++, Java, and Python to become one of the fastest-growing programming languages in the industry. Its swift growth has been attributed to its simplicity, functionality, and concurrent support.
Rust presently lags behind Go in popularity, but it is expected to explode with the forthcoming release of Rust 2021 edition, which promises to streamline the language and make it more accessible to beginners.
Conclusion
Both Go and Rust are excellent choices when deciding what programming language to use for your project. Which one to use depends on your project needs, programming style, and specific requirements.
If you require memory safety and exceptional performance, Rust is an excellent choice while Go is better suited if you want simplicity, ease of use, and easy concurrency.