Go vs. Rust: Which One to Choose for Web Development in 2022?

As a web developer, you ask yourself this question several times- Go vs. Rust: Which one to choose for good web development? Or, which one to use in 2022: Rust or Golang? These two are the most popular programming languages used in today’s digital world. Google introduced Golang in 2009 and Rust language was started by Mozilla in 2010.

Both languages are huge initiatives for the web development world created to address the different shortcomings of the existing programming languages. And, the rivalry of being popular between the two is very fierce. So, as a web developer, you have to be careful about choosing the ideal language to get your job done.

Not to ignore both are perfect programming languages and have emerged as a great topic of discussion in the web programming industry according to Google trends. Therefore, to enhance your knowledge more, we have curated the difference between Go and Rust to easily know which one to choose for the web development process.

What is the Go language?

Go is a static typed and executable programming language that is also known as Golang. The language is created by Google engineers and is based on C to compete with the C++ language. Golang is used to build small applications and online APIs using goroutines.

The language assembles the machine code and offers the convenience to use garbage collection and represent run-time. So, the language is good for a parallel computing environment.

Advantages of Go

You should know what Golang has before deciding on the right language for web development. Here are some advantages of using the Go language.

1. Go is a quick language

Golang does not require an interpreter and gets quickly translated into machine code. Hence, there is no requirement for intermediary phases that leads to faster development. It is a proactive language when compared to Java.

2. Provides a thriving developer environment

Programmers like working on Golang over other languages as it is a fast language. It is one of the popular languages used by 1 million web Go language professionals.

The developers who use other programming languages, and sometimes used GO, then the figure rises to more than 2 million. And, this will increase more in the long term as predicted.

3. Golang is easy to learn

Go is not a command-line language that takes more time to learn. If you are a beginner, there will be no trouble understanding the sentence structure of the language. The programming model of Golang is similar to the C language.

4. Go language is adaptable

As scalability is considered a key factor when selecting the ideal software for an organization, Golang offers various scalability options to web developers. The programming language offers the execution of a range of skills at a point. So, if you choose to Go, you can use it for a long period.

When to use the Go language?

According to a 2019 report by Go, the most common areas where Golang may be used are web development, network programming, databases, system programming, and DevOps tasks. Go language gets a lot of preference for networking services because of its propensity for concurrency.

It is one of the best languages for server-side development as it provides quick execution of the page needed to develop brand recognition online. Golang also supports the Google Cloud Platform, hence it excels when it comes to delivering high-performance cloud applications.

Common use cases of Golang

-Go language is a great option for serverless and cloud-based apps, particularly on Google Cloud.

-Go uses goroutines that can handle millions of streams very rapidly.

-Go is one of the best languages for cloud-native microservices because of its speed, monitoring, and design features.

-Many CLIs and scripts such as kubectl use Golang.

What is Rust?

Rust is a well-constructed, static, and type programming language developed by Mozilla Firefox. The main motive for creating the language is performance and safety in the web development field. Primarily, Rust was introduced to handle CPU-related tasks, such as storing huge amounts of data and running algorithms. Thus, it is used more than Golang for tasks that require high performance.

Rust was developed as a copy of C++ language without any garbage collection; rather it uses a borrowed checker to keep the memory safe. Rust has been declared the most popular programming language in 2016.

Advantages of Rust

Now that you know what Rust language is, let us look at some of its advantages that make it so fascinating to web developers.

1.Rust is perfect for sophisticated programs

Rust offers a single package known as Cargo for several functions such as execution, compilation, obtaining libraries, and producing instructions.
When you rust complex programs using Rust, you will add dependencies, so start the project using Cargo making the dependencies easier. You will notice that complex programs run flawlessly with Rust when the process includes several files.

2. Rust focus on safety

Rust is a highly stringent compiler that examines all the variables that guarantee the security of the memory. Segfaults or segmentation faults can sometimes read, write, or access an unauthorized part of the memory that causes the application to crash.

Therefore, having the ownership mechanism of Rust investigates the memory used by the program at the build time, and avoids any problems.

3. Rust offers high performance

Rust is a quicker language than any interpreted language such as Python because it uses a compiler. When you compare Rust with any programming language like Java that has a Just-in-Time compiler for improving performance, it is faster.

When to use Rust?

Rust is a universal programming language that is suitable for various areas. One such area is system programming where Rust works great because of its high performance and free abstractions. System programming is the process to develop separate parts of software essential for the system to work as a whole.

The system programmer installs, maintains, and modifies the operating system as well as installs software used by the system. Rust uses middle-level features that are influenced by the C++ language. These features are capable of handling the complexity to manage the hardware memory that creates computer programs.

Use Cases of Rust

-Runtime applications. For example- The Node.js developer uses Deno, a JavaScript runtime that gets implemented in the Rust Language.

-Rust works well with CPU-intensive software that includes games and operating systems.

-WebAssembly, which lets the browsers run an efficient code. Also, it creates effective filters in a service mesh such as Istio.

-Cryptocurrencies, web development, and embedded systems are other use cases of the Rust language.

Go vs. Rust: Key Takeaways

Golang

If you are a DevOps developer who develops extensible and scalable software, Golang is the ideal language to design apps that focuses on security and also offers various other characteristics.

Golang has a basic concurrency architecture that develops high-performance programs easily. This makes the language appealing and provides a lot of strength. You can create small projects such as production-grade microservices in a limited time. From web apps to CLIs, the Go language can be used in several scenarios.

With the Go language, it is essential to focus on the errors as they can be made easily and impact the performance. Pay attention to how Golang works to run the code well and avoid runtime errors.

Rust

The Rust language is challenging to learn and use. It creates apps where security is considered the most important thing. Rust is a programming language that concentrates on the efficiency, speed, and low-level details of the software.

The language tries to replace C++ by developing a new and straightforward programming language, but Go adopts some parts of the C syntax to build a general language. The build system of Rust and its zero-cost abstractions let the programmers access libraries that are easy to use and fast for tasks such as RESTful API and streaming analytics.

Rust is also used to create complex systems with multiple blocks of code, whereas Go is used to develop straightforward applications. Rust can be used in different contexts, and Go has limited support such as embedded systems. Rust has an apparent garbage collector that makes it perform better than the Go language.

Go vs. Rust: Which one to choose?

Which language is best for your next web development task? There is not one response to it when we learn about both languages.
Any language from both two can be ideal for your work according to the goals and requirements. Checking the advantages offered by each language and choosing the one that suits your needs is the right way to assess the language you want to employ.

Both languages are contemporary, widely used, and well-liked languages; there is no direct competition with each other. Rust language outperforms Golang in performance for applications that include ample data, but Go language has a quick development time that makes it perfect for enterprise-level apps and huge web development organizations.

Each language has its benefits and drawbacks as the comparison goes on. There will be times when Golang will perform better and other times when web developers may opt for Rust. Therefore, you have to choose the language that suits your requirements.

Also, for further details about how to use both languages, feel free to contact us. We are a renowned web application development company offering website design and development in India. Our team offers various kinds of web development and mobile app development services to clients using modern technologies.