Why Use Rust?
High Performance (Fast and Efficient Execution)
Rust is an extremely fast and memory-efficient language.
It has no extra runtime or garbage collector.
Because of this, Rust:Can be used for highly efficient services,Can run on embedded devices,Can easily interoperate with other languages
Reliability (Greater Safety and Stability)
Rust’s rich type system and ownership model ensure: Memory safety , Thread safety
These guarantees allow many programming errors to be caught at compile time itself.
Productivity (Increased Efficiency)
Rust makes your work simpler, structured, and more effective because it includes:
Excellent documentation
A helpful compiler — with clear and useful error messages
High-quality tools such as:
cargo: Integrated package manager and build tool- Smart editor support — code suggestions, type inspection
- Auto-formatter — keeps code neat and consistent
- And many other useful tools
Rust is a unique combination of speed, safety, and reliability — making it extremely suitable for building modern, efficient, and sustainable software systems.
Understanding Error Messages While Learning Rust!
An important part of learning Rust is understanding the compiler’s error messages.
These messages guide you in the right direction and help you transform your code into working programs.
That’s why in this book or guide, you’ll often see examples that don’t compile — along with the exact error message shown by the compiler at that stage.
Remember: If you type and run a random example, it may not always compile!
Please read the surrounding text carefully, because some examples are intentionally written to produce errors, so that you can learn from them.
Who is Ferris? – Rust’s Cute Mascot!
Ferris is the official and friendly mascot of the Rust programming language — a cheerful red crab who accompanies Rust learners!
Ferris’ Role in Learning:
When you learn Rust, Ferris is with you — especially when compiler errors appear!
🔹 Ferris teaches that errors are not failures, but opportunities to learn
🔹 He shows which code is correct and which is expected to fail
🔹 In some tutorials, Ferris is used as a special symbol to indicate –
"This example will not compile, but there’s something valuable to learn from it!"
| Ferris | Meaning |
|---|---|
 | This code does not compile! |
 | This code panics! |
 | This code does not produce the desired behavior. |
What is Rust Used For?
Rust is a general-purpose language. With its direct control over hardware and memory, it is highly useful for embedded systems and bare-metal development. But Rust is not limited to that — it is used for a wide variety of applications.
Let’s explore some key use cases of Rust:
Building Performance-Critical Backend Systems
Systems that require fast processing, low latency, and efficient resource usage are an excellent fit for Rust. With its thread safety, robust error handling, and high performance, Rust is an ideal choice.
Example: GitHub built the backend of its code search feature in Rust!
Operating System Development
Rust was originally created to address OS-related issues (e.g., the elevator problem). Hence, it is ideal for building OSes, kernels, device drivers, and low-level components.
Examples:
- Redox OS – a Unix-like operating system written in Rust.
- Fuchsia – Google’s OS, running on Google Nest devices.
OS-Related Tasks
Rust excels at handling tasks that require direct interaction with the operating system.
Examples:
- GitHub Codespaces uses Rust when launching virtual disks.
Web Development with Rust
Rust is now widely used in server-side web development.
Its async programming model, safety, and performance make it suitable for building fast and secure APIs and web servers.
Examples:
- Popular web frameworks like Rocket and Actix Web are written in Rust.
Crypto and Blockchain Development
Rust’s speed, memory control, and safety make it a strong choice for blockchain.
Examples:
- Polkadot – a multi-chain blockchain platform, whose runtime logic is written in Rust.
- GitHub’s awesome-blockchain-rust repo provides useful components for blockchain apps in Rust.
Building CLI (Command-Line Interface) Tools
Rust-based CLI tools:
- Run fast
- Use minimal memory
- Are expressive and clear
Building CLI tools is one of the best ways to start learning Rust!
Embedded Systems and IoT with Rust
Rust’s small binary size, memory control, and bug-preventing design are highly advantageous for embedded systems and IoT devices.
- These devices work in real time, where Rust’s efficiency and safety are critical.
Rust is not just a programming language — it’s a mindset that values safety, performance, and innovation equally.
Why is Rust Becoming Popular in AI?
Traditionally, Python and C++ dominated AI development. But recently, Rust has started making a strong impact in this field.
Thanks to its performance, safety, and concurrency, Rust is becoming a serious contender for AI.
Advantages of Rust in AI
Rust’s rising popularity in AI is due to:
- Memory Safety
- High Performance
- Concurrency Power
These features are vital for building large-scale, reliable AI systems with fewer errors.
Memory Safety and Zero-Cost Abstractions
Rust’s strict memory safety rules prevent common issues like null pointer dereferencing and data races at compile-time. This makes it safer than traditional languages like C++.
For AI, when low-level control is needed, Rust allows developers to write efficient code without sacrificing safety.
This is made possible by its Zero-Cost Abstractions — meaning high-level, easy-to-read code with no performance penalty.
High Performance and Concurrency
Rust provides system-level access and is as performant as C++.
But it also offers fearless concurrency — multiple threads can run in parallel without data races.
For large AI models requiring parallel computation, Rust provides both reliability and efficiency.
Rust Libraries for AI
While Rust is not yet the dominant AI language, its AI ecosystem is growing rapidly. Some notable libraries are:
- Linfa: Traditional ML algorithms in Rust
- Tch-rs: Bindings for PyTorch — bringing PyTorch power into Rust
- Rust-NN: A library for neural networks, useful for deep learning models
These tools make Rust a practical option for AI development.
Rust is emerging as a safe, efficient, and concurrency-friendly language for AI development — making it a strong future choice for building scalable, secure, and performance-focused AI systems.
How to Use This Book
In general, this book assumes you’ll read sequentially from start to finish, since later chapters build on earlier concepts. Sometimes a topic is introduced briefly at first, then explored in depth in a later chapter.