I’m always on the prowl for the latest languages, eager to dive deep and decipher their nuances. So, I figured why not write about my exploration of two fascinating languages that have been gaining traction in the tech community - Rust and Go.
As an intern at John Deere, I have been primarily focused on constructing backend API endpoints and spinning up React components for the frontend. However, my curiosity always leads me back to the joy of learning new languages. In fact, my most recent self-taught languages are Rust and Go. And let me tell you, the journey has been both challenging and exciting! In this post, I’ll detail my experiences contrasting these two languages from a web developer’s perspective.
fn main() {
println!("Hello, Rust!");
}fn main() {
fmt.Println("Hello, Go!")
}Just writing out the classic “Hello, World!” in Rust and Go, you can see there are similarities and differences in syntax and structure.
Rust, touted for its memory safety and zero-cost abstractions, provides tight control on hardware and memory. It has a unique feature called ‘Ownership,’ which further aids in the precise management of memory. Rust’s syntax might seem a bit dense initially, but it’s mainly due to the language’s focus on explicitness and safety. Rust might seem a bit intimidating initially, but tackles a lot of potential bugs at compile time. Safe to say, Rust has a steep learning curve but offers enormous power in return.
On the other hand, Go (also known as Golang), developed by Google, focuses on simplicity and maintainability. It is designed to make it easy to build simple, reliable, and efficient software. You might notice Go’s syntax is distinctively clean and easy to understand. With features like garbage collection, it allows developers to not worry about memory management. Go takes pride in its simplicity, making it a quicker language to learn and use!
Rust comes with a zero-cost abstraction. In simple words, it allows us to write high-level abstractions, which are usually considered ‘costly’ in other languages, without actually paying the performance cost. However, writing efficient Rust code can be difficult due to its complex syntax and steep learning curve.
Go, on the other hand, may not match Rust’s performance, but it’s not trailing far behind either. The ease of writing Go code and its excellent tooling makes it a great candidate for developing web applications swiftly.
Deciding a clear winner between Rust and Go would be quite tricky as they both have unique selling points that respond to different needs. After all, It’s always horses for courses!
If you desire top performance, low-level operations, and you are ready to navigate a steep learning curve, Rust might be your cup of tea ☕. But, if you’re after simplicity, quick turnarounds, or you’re just starting your journey in web development, Go could be an appealing choice!
It’s been thrilling to navigate the labyrinth of these languages, and I’m certain I’ve only scratched the surface! If you’re just as eager to learn and experiment like me, I’d recommend giving them both a whirl, and I assure you, it’ll be quite a ride 🎢!