Why is Rust a critical programming language in 2026?

What are some uses for Rust?

Rust is a modern programming language designed for safety, speed and concurrency. Mozilla created Rust in 2010, and since then, it has become a popular and valuable language for many development scenarios.

Organizations developing projects that require stability and performance from their low-level languages should strongly consider using Rust to future-proof applications and offer a strategic advantage. Here are some common use cases that might match your organization's direction:

• Operating system and driver programming.
• Web development.
• Game development.
• Command-line tools.

Many development teams have successfully adopted Rust as a core language, including Linux and Microsoft programmers. Some examples of recent successful Rust adoption and integration include:

• Linux. Linux kernel developers began integrating Rust into kernel module and driver development in 2021 to reduce memory bugs. Linux is an essential, performance-critical OS, so the fact that it relies on Rust for some components demonstrates the language's importance.
• Microsoft. Microsoft also uses Rust programming to reduce memory vulnerabilities in critical software. This transition away from traditional C++ development occurs in Microsoft's Azure cloud projects, firmware and other low-level programming tasks -- such as Hyper-V. Rust is a core part of Microsoft's system development environment. Mark Russinovich, a well-known Microsoft advocate, has publicly stated multiple times that no new projects should use C++ but instead should be developed in Rust.
• Discord. Discord replaced some C++ code with Rust to take advantage of its high-performance and concurrent code capabilities.
• Google. Programmers on Google's Android development team reported that they saw both reduced bug count and improved pipeline throughput as a result of Rust adoption.

What are the features of Rust?

Like any programming language, Rust's benefits vary depending on the project. It is best suited to low-level programming scenarios such as OSes and drivers. It offers both technical and strategic advantages to the organizations working in these contexts.

Rust is a fully mature programming language, complete with well-recognized technical benefits, well-supported tooling and learning resources. Developers will recognize the value of the following Rust advantages:

• Memory safety without garbage collection. This eliminates common compile-time bugs that plague older languages, resulting in fewer errors and less downtime.
• High performance. Because Rust compiles to native machine code, it offers better optimization and runtime performance than non-compiled languages, such as Python. This performance is critical for OSes, drivers, games and other high-performance projects. It also helps conserve expensive cloud resources.
• Concurrency issue detection. Rust provides compile-time guarantees that detect concurrency issues before the code is compiled, enabling programmers to address problems before the code enters the test phase, saving development time.
• Modern type system. Support for various type systems enables efficient API development and fewer runtime errors, adding to Rust's existing performance and safety capabilities.

Rust offers several useful tools that are essential to busy development teams. Examples include:

• cargo. Provides build, test, dependency management and publishing features.
• rustup. Provides toolchain management capabilities.
• clippy. Enforces best practices and offers linting.
• rustfmt. An auto-formatting tool.

Rust tools have a reputation for quality, enhancing productivity and reducing development friction.

Additional tools include RustRover -- an IDE explicitly built for Rust by JetBrains -- and Visual Studio Code + rust-analyzer.

A small but powerful community supports Rust, and the language continues to grow in popularity. Its primary support comes from The Rust Foundation, which consists of AWS, Google, Microsoft, Meta and others. This makes Rust a stable long-term strategic investment.

What are the strategic benefits of Rust?

Developers are interested in Rust's technical advantages, but IT leaders must examine the larger strategic benefits. Some of the strategic benefits of Rust include:

• Fewer production incidents due to Rust's stability and security.
• Long-term stability and maintainability.
• Reduced engineering costs due to safety and security.
• Reduced operational costs related to smaller cloud deployments, fewer microservices generating overhead, and lower CPU and memory use.
• Strategic edge in application performance.
• High developer satisfaction ratings, leading to better talent hiring and retention.

What are the challenges of using Rust?

Rust is not without its challenges, which can affect an organization's adoption. Its benefits come at the price of complexity and fewer standard code libraries. While the Rust ecosystem is dedicated, it's smaller than some other communities, meaning there are typically fewer support packages and resources available. Dev teams might need to be somewhat more self-reliant than with other languages.

Specific challenges of Rust include:

• Steep learning curve. Rust has a steeper learning curve than some other languages, with challenging concepts such as ownership, lifetimes and borrowing. Investing in training is essential.
• Long compilation times. Rust has longer compilation times due to safety checks, which can negatively affect development and testing lifecycles.
• Relatively small ecosystem. Rust has a smaller and less mature library ecosystem than Python or JavaScript.

When to use Rust

Rust excels for performance-critical systems, but it's not well-suited to rapid prototyping or refactoring applications with extensive legacy code.

Standard use cases include:

• Operating system kernels.
• Firmware for microcontrollers and robotics.
• Command-line application development, such as package managers and system utilities.
• Filesystems.
• Device drivers.
• Memory-sensitive applications.
• High-performance libraries.
• High-performance web backends.
• Security-sensitive applications, because it eliminates entire classes of memory vulnerabilities.

However, it's critical to choose the best language for the job, and Rust will not always be the best choice for a given situation. It becomes another essential tool in an array of potential programming solutions for your organization's needs.

Empower your development team to learn Rust

Those who already know C or C++ have an advantage when learning Rust. Many concepts are the same, though Rust has a more modern and structured approach. Knowledge of Python or C# provides a foundation in general programming concepts, but they are not directly related to Rust. Begin integrating Rust into the development lifecycle by selecting experienced programmers with a solid understanding of C and C++ concepts.

Various books, online tutorials and other projects exist to help teams gain hands-on experience with Rust. There's even an online playground at the Rust official site.

Consider the following resources to start:

• The Rust Programming Language. This book was written by core Rust contributors. Its content moves from basics to advanced topics. Get the book free online.
• Programming Rust (2nd Edition). Oriented on systems and low-level programming, this book is a deeper dive.
• Rustlings. These are small exercises to learn syntax, ownership, borrowing and other Rust concepts.

Begin building projects to gain practical knowledge and experience. Consider contributing to open source projects at the same time.

Considering a strategic move to the Rust programming language involves examining future projects for their suitability. If the team is already using C and C++, there are significant benefits to adding Rust to their skill sets. IT leaders must recognize the learning curve involved with upskilling their existing team.

Damon Garn owns Cogspinner Coaction and provides freelance IT writing and editing services. He has written multiple CompTIA study guides, including the Linux+, Cloud Essentials+ and Server+ guides, and contributes extensively to TechTarget Editorial, The New Stack and CompTIA Blogs.