Rust vs Python: Top 17 Differences You Need to Know

Rust and Python are two of the most popular programming languages today. Both languages are very powerful, easy to learn, and widely used. In addition, both Python and Rust have their own strengths and weaknesses. However, if you are confused about which language to learn, this blog will clear your confusion. This blog will look at the top 17 differences between Rust vs Python languages.

Also Read: Python vs Julia

What is Rust? 

Rust is a programming language that is general-purpose, high-level, and multi-paradigm. Besides, it is specially designed by Mozilla that is intended to compete with C++ in terms of speed and security. 

In addition, In addition, Rust programming is relatively easy to learn and use. However, many people call this language the future of software engineering.

In other words, this language emphasizes safety, stability, and performance. It is a C/C++ compatible statically typed programming language with a memory-efficient design.

Moreover, Rust is known for its speed and great error messages.

Pros of Rust 

Here are some pros of rust programming language. 

• Firstly, Rust is a performance-oriented language in comparison to other languages due to its quick and memory-efficient architecture that does not require a runtime or trash collection.
• Secondly, it provides speed and security for various activities such as creating web applications, developing distributed services, and creating cross-platform programmes that use robust command-line tools.
• Third, Rust improves upon the ideas of other programming languages ​​such as C++ by providing guaranteed memory protection.

Cons of Rust 

• Rust code cannot be written as quickly as code written in other scripting languages such as Python or Perl. 
• In Rust, there is no garbage collection. 
• Rust’s compiler is extremely slow compared to other standard programming language compilers.

What is Rust used for? 

Rust is used in many cases, some of which are as follows:

1. Blockchain 

Rust is an excellent choice for blockchain technology. However, Blockchains necessitate a high degree of network speed with a low level of a strong load, and developing infrastructure in Rust is more productive than in other languages.

2. Operating and software system

Rust programming is used to make software applications such as operating systems, browser components, games engines, file systems, and simulation engines for virtual reality. 

3. Web Applications

Rust is a popular programming language among web applications due to its open-source, quick, robust, and high-performance features.

In addition, the use of Rust to develop web services and build efficient, reliable applications more rapidly while keeping flexibility and low-level control. 

Developers can use Rust to create fast and secure web apps utilizing frameworks such as Rocket.

4. Neural networks

The libraries of Rust are used to write machine learning and neural network algorithms. NeuroFlow is a Rust neural network crate built on three pillars: speed, reliability, and speed.

Moreover, some companies use Rust programming, some of which are the following:

• Dropbox
• Mozilla
• Microsoft 
• Figma
• NPM
• Facebook
• Cloudflare 

What is Python?

Python is an interpreted, object-oriented programming language that is often used as a scripting language. It can be used in many different applications, where it is dynamically typed and has automatic memory management. 

In other words, Python is a general-purpose programming language that features a fully dynamic type system and automatic memory management.

Moreover, Python was created in the late 1980s and was developed by a single engineer named Guido van Rossum. 

However, this language is easy to learn, especially for those who are just starting to code.

Pros of Python

• Firstly, Python is an easy-to-read programming language. Besides, the code of this language is easy to understand.
• Secondly, it is an interpreted language, which indicates that the code is executed line by line.
• The standard library of Python is huge, you can find almost all the functions needed for your task. So, you don’t have to depend on external libraries.

Cons of Python

Here are some pros of the Python programming language. 

• The first con of Python programming is that it is a slow language as compared to other programming languages such as Java and C++.
• This language uses a large amount of memory. In other words, it is not memory efficient.
• It is easy to debug; some errors won’t be shown until runtime.

What is Python used for?

Python programming is used in many places, some of which are as follows:

1. Data analytics

Python is the best choice for data analytics. Indeed, this language is flexible, easy-to-learn, and also well-supported. This means it is quick and straightforward to use for data analytics. 

2. Artificial learning and machine learning 

Python programming is a flexible, stable, and simple language, which means it is ideal for artificial learning (AI) and machine learning (ML). 

Indeed, Python is one of the best and most popular languages among data scientists. 

3. Web development: websites and web apps

Python programming language is also an ideal choice for web development. 

Python’s popularity in web development is mainly due to frameworks and packages such as Django and Flask, which increase the language’s usability.

4. Desktop application

Python is also used to create desktop apps. Python is used in many Linux and open-source desktop applications.

Moreover, some companies use Python, some of which are the following:

• Google
• Industrial light and magic
• Instagram 
• Quora
• Spotify 
• Netflix
• Reddit

Head to Head Differences between Rust vs Python 

The table below summarizes the comparison between Rust vs Python:

Key Differences between Rust vs Python

Let’s look at some of the significant differences between Rust and Python:

• Rust code performs the best of the two, and it is around 12 times faster than Python. Its performance is comparable to that of C/C++, although Python is slower.
• Rust is a statically typed programming language, whereas Python is a dynamically typed programming language. 
• Python is a general-purpose programming language, but Rust is mainly used for system development.
• Python’s introduction to the language is clearly defined, and there are numerous examples available to help you learn it. When these two are compared in documentation, Rust’s documentation is more complicated than Python’s. Hence Python wins in the documentation.
• The error handling in Rust and Python is exceptionally different. Errors in Python are handled by throwing an exception, whereas errors in Rust are handled by returning a value.
• Python syntax is easy to understand; on the other hand, Rust is a bit complicated.

Rust vs Python: Speed

Both Rust and python have fast binaries, and can be used for similar purposes, such as web development and scripting. 

However, Rust was built with speed in mind, and it shows. Rust can also handle more than Python, as it is a very low-level programming language. 

If you are planning to do development on the C-level, Rust may be the better choice. Both Python and Rust are programming languages that are ideal to use in this decade, due to their fast compile times, crash-free programs, and other special features.

Rust vs Python: Performance

Rust is a language that makes safety a priority. Using it one can write highly concurrent, low-level code that has zero cost of ownership, it is also highly optimized. 

Python, on the other hand, is a language that focuses more on developer velocity. It has great performance, is beginner friendly, and is a fast-growing language. 

Popularity: Rust vs Python programming languages

Many people think that Python is the king of programming languages when it comes to building web applications. Indeed, Python is a good and very popular language. It’s been widely used for over 15 years, allowing people to write and run code quickly. But, it is not the best. The best language when it comes to web applications in Rust. 

Below we have explained with a graph the popularity of Rust vs Python. The red coloured line in the graph shows the popularity of Python. On the other hand, the blue line shows the popularity of Rust. 

Conclusion 

We hope you enjoyed our article on Rust vs Python. 

Rust is quicker than Python, although Python is more user-friendly. Rust is more secure than Python, but it is more expensive to create. On the other hand, Python is less secure yet has cheaper development expenses than Rust. Python has dynamic typing, but Rust has static typing.

As a result, Which language is better is totally dependent on the project’s needs. Hopefully, you now understand Rust vs Python and can select which of these two languages to choose.

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