When you consider Rust and Zig, they make for a fascinating comparison. Both languages promote efficient, performant code, but they do so in different ways. They also both compile to a native binary that your system can execute directly.
These languages run on entirely different concepts and philosophies, which can affect how developers code with them. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how well they measure up against each other.
Rust is a general-purpose programming language that prioritizes efficiency, performance, and memory safety. It introduces a new way of programming that still allows developers to use object-oriented and functional paradigms.
Coding with Rust requires an entirely different way of thinking centered around the ownership and borrowing rules that govern the language.
While this way of thinking makes it easier for developers to write safe and efficient code, developers — especially new ones — often find it more challenging to express their ideas in Rust compared to languages like C and C++.
Rust allows you to compile your code into a native binary that your system can run directly. It also removes the cross-platform limits that C and C++ impose on developers. This means you can compile your code for multiple systems without changing anything significantly.
Let’s look at an example of Rust code:
fn main() {
let text: &str = "World";
println!("Hello, {}!", text);
}
In Rust, every executable starts from the main function, which is similar to other compiled programming languages. If you run the example above, you’ll get “Hello, World!” in your terminal.
In Rust, some features benefit developers while others make development more challenging. In this section, we’ll first look at Rust’s advantages, and then we’ll look at its drawbacks.
Some benefits of Rust include:
Some drawbacks of Rust include:
Though Rust, like any language, has its pros and cons, it remains a popular choice among developers. It took the crown as the most admired language in the 2023 Stack Overflow developer survey, with more than 80 percent of respondents saying they want to use it again next year.
Now that you’ve seen what Rust can do, let’s take a look at places where it is already being used.
In systems programming, Rust is useful for tasks like building operating systems, device drivers, and embedded systems.
Both backend and frontend web developers also use Rust with popular frameworks like Rocket or Actix for backend development and WebAssembly or Tauri for frontend development.
Rust is also used in networking and network services, like network protocols, proxies, load balancers, VPN software, and more.
Some more niche use cases for Rust include:
While Zig is more similar to conventional programming languages like C and C++, it focuses on memory safety and efficiency like Rust. However, unlike Rust, Zig integrates well with existing C and C++ code without needing an external mechanism like FFI to make interoperability easier.
Like Rust, C, and C++, Zig doesn’t use a garbage collector. To achieve memory safety like Rust, Zig comes with mechanisms that promote memory safety, such as:
Learn more →Error typesThese mechanisms don’t severely affect coding in the language the way they do in Rust.
Let’s take a look at an example written in Zig:
const std = @import("std");
pub fn main() void {
std.debug.print("Hello, world", .{});
}
A lot of the programming languages available to developers have a motivation and philosophy behind them. For example, Rust focuses on memory safety, efficiency, no-garbage collection, and performance.
So what about Zig? Its philosophy comprises:
Next, we’ll look at Zig’s pros and cons, after which we’ll look at its use cases.
As we did in Rust, let’s start with the pros and then the cons.
Some of the benefits Zig offers to developers include:
defer statements allow developers to easily prevent errors, boost code reliability, and reduce bugs and vulnerabilitiesSome of the drawbacks of Zig include:
Let’s dive into some of Zig’s real-life use cases and see how it works in action!
Developers can use Zig in systems programming for building operating systems, device drivers, and embedded systems. It’s also useful in command-line tools for creating efficient and fast command-line interfaces, building system scripts, or optimizing existing tools for performance.
In compiler and language development, Zig is known for its metaprogramming capabilities and focus on simplicity. A famous example is Bun, a runtime environment for JavaScript developed in Zig.
Like Rust, Zig also has a few more niche use cases:
If you’re interested in using Zig in your next project, take a look at our guide on getting started with Zig.
Now that we’ve looked at Rust and Zig individually, it’s time to put them together for comparison. It’s always interesting to compare different programming languages, especially when they have similar targets.
Let’s start with what they have in common:
Meanwhile, you can use the comparison table below to understand the differences between Rust and Zig:
| Feature | Rust | Zig |
|---|---|---|
| Memory safety | Rust uses its strict ownership and borrowing rules to ensure that any code a developer writes is safe. | Zig uses mechanisms that track and control memory allocation and deallocation to prevent any code that a developer writes from being unsafe. |
| Syntax | Rust emphasizes ownership and lifetimes through explicit annotations, which can lead to longer code. | Zig follows a C-like syntax. |
| Ecosystem | Rust offers a robust ecosystem, including libraries, tools, and community support | Zig is a younger language with a more miniature ecosystem. |
| Interoperability | Rust has decent FFI compatibility. It works well calling Rust functions from C but it can be challenging to call C functions from Rust. | Zig has a superior FFI. It works well calling C functions from Zig and calling Zig functions from C. |
| Error Handling | Rust uses Result and Option types for explicit error handling | Zig uses error types, error unions, and deferred statements for error handling |
| Package manager | Rut uses cargo package manager for handling packages and dependencies | Zig uses its built-in package manager for handling packages and dependencies |
Besides their similarities and differences, we can compare Rust and Zig in three other ways: performance, popularity, and how much their programmers are paid. Let’s take a closer look.
Objectively, between Rust and Zig, there is no absolutely better-performing language. Rust may outshine Zig in specific applications, while Zig may outperform Rust in others.
Let’s closely examine each performance with a comparison from the programming languages and compiler benchmarks:
This benchmark project contains programs written in several programming languages that run simultaneously. The outcomes from their runs are then measured and presented in a tabular form for you to see how each programming language performs in the task.
In the image above, we have the mandelbrot and nbody programs, both written using Rust and Zig. The measurements in the comparison tables are arranged from more performant to less performant.
You’ll notice that in some cases Zig performs better than Rust, and in others Rust performs better than Zig. Both are highly performant languages, so either option should serve you well in your projects.
When picking a programming language to learn, popularity can be a significant factor to consider. Choosing a popular language not only increases your chances of finding resources and support, but also means you’ll have a higher chance of finding developers to collaborate with.
StackOverflow’s latest developer survey provides some interesting insights. As mentioned earlier, Rust is this year’s most admired language, with 84.66 percent of respondents saying they want to use it again next year compared to Zig’s 71.33 percent.
Rust is also 14th on the list of popular languages, while Zig is farther behind at number 41 out of 51 total languages listed.
Zig’s lower popularity in both cases may be because it’s still in its early stages. Either way, it’s crucial to consider the popularity of the language you choose to work with.
The StackOverflow developer survey also contains information about the top paying technologies as reported by the respondents. You may find this chart helpful, especially if you’re interested in breaking into the software development market.
Interestingly, despite being a new addition, Zig is actually the highest-paid language to know this year, while Rust is 14th on the list. It’s worth considering this information if you want to learn either Rust or Zig for professional reasons:
Although this chart is quite helpful, it only gives a partial picture. You see, other factors come into play when determining how much a developer gets paid, such as their experience level and the company they work for.
So, while the chart is a good starting point, it’s important to remember that there are other factors to consider.
Regarding Rust and Zig, it’s hard to say which is the clear winner. Each language has its strengths and weaknesses, making them both fair competitors.
Before you dive into using either language, it’s essential to do your research. That’s why I hope this article has helped guide you toward the right choice.
Thanks for taking the time to read it! If you have any questions about either language, feel free to comment below.
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One Reply to "Comparing Rust vs. Zig: Performance, safety, and more"
A factor not considered here is ease of use.
Rust is a monster of a language that straddles multiple paradigms, and the borrow checker imposes restrictions on how you design. It is going to take the average developer significant time and work before they can produce elegant solutions in the Rust idiom. The learning curve can be compared to C++.
Zig is a much more minimal and familiar type of procedural language, leaving more mental overhead free for actually solving the problem in hand. The learning curve can be compared to C.