The Rust programming language is quickly becoming a favorite for developers. Just a few years ago, you may have been forgiven for thinking that blockchain and smart contract programming had nothing to do with Rust. However, some of the most prominent smart contract blockchain networks are compatible with the Rust programming language. Also, Rust is becoming a popular choice for Web3 developers because it saves them time and energy when coding. Additionally, Rust eliminates multiple bug classes, reducing the likelihood of errors. As such, it expedites innovation and allows developers to get their applications to market quickly and securely. Plus, it is compatible with several other prominent programming languages.
In this article, we’re going to dive deep into the Rust programming language. We’ll explore the top blockchains that support Rust. Plus, we’ll discuss some of the reasons that Rust is becoming so popular for Web3 programming. But first, let’s start by exploring what Rust entails!
What is Rust?
Rust is a statically typed, open-source, memory-efficient programming language developed by Graydon Hoare. It enables developers to save a great deal of time when building applications and provides control over low-level details such as memory. Also, Rust uses a type system and ownership model that enables users to avoid multiple bug classes. Plus, it’s compatible with several other prominent programming languages. What’s more, the Rust programming language doesn’t have a garbage collector or use a runtime. In turn, it makes it extremely proficient in powering high-performance computations without compromise, even on embedded devices.
Furthermore, Rust enables developers to streamline their workflows and complete more tasks in a shorter period. Accordingly, Rust has a low barrier to entry and is an ideal starting point for anyone who wants to become a developer but has little or no experience. Moreover, the Rust programming language facilitates complex problem-solving with an ergonomic and intuitive design. Users don’t need to understand all of the various complexities of the problems they encounter to identify and solve them.
Why Developers Use Rust
When we think of Web3 and blockchain programming languages, we often think of JavaScript, C++, and Python. However, many development teams are switching from these languages to the Rust programming language, as it provides them with several compelling advantages. For example, Rust is super-fast and reliable. It can minimize memory-related bugs when compiling. Plus, it has fast execution speeds. Another significant benefit is that Rust is quite easy to learn. Not only does it enable developers to write code quickly, but the learning curve is much easier to navigate than in many other prominent programming languages.
Furthermore, Rust enables large development teams with different levels of expertise and programming ability to collaborate without friction. When large teams use Rust, they are able to focus more time and energy on the logic of their programs and worry less about finding bugs. Moreover, the Rust programming language provides a suite of tools that streamline the development process and optimize workflows. For example, the integrated dependency management and building tool make formatting and style adherence straightforward.
Because Rust is a compiled programming language, users can compile programs as binary executable files that are compatible with other languages. Additionally, the automatic formatting tool and integrated package manager allow developers to achieve more in less time. Moreover, Rust uses a syntax that is much like that of JavaScript and C++. This makes the Rust programming language extremely efficient and prevents many different types of crashes. Plus, anyone with experience using C++ can pick up Rust in no time.
Top Blockchains Using the Rust Programming Language
Rust is quickly becoming the go-to programming language for blockchain developers. Part of it is because it’s easy for developers to learn and enables users to create secure applications with minimal friction. Also, Rust makes it extremely straightforward for developers to create accurate documentation. So, now that we’ve explored the Rust programming language in a little more detail, let’s take a look at some of the top blockchain projects using Rust.
Solana
When we think of blockchains that use the Rust programming language, many think of Solana. Conceptualized in 2017 by Anatoly Yakovenko and developed by Solana Labs and Solana Foundation, Solana is one of the fastest smart contract blockchains in the Web3 domain. Furthermore, the Solana mainnet launched in 2020 after intellectual property and 167 million native SOL tokens were transferred from Solana Labs to the newly created Solana Foundation.
The native SOL token powers the Solana ecosystem and is the medium of exchange used across the many decentralized applications built on the Solana blockchain. Also, the SOL token is essential for platform governance and enables holders to vote on proposals to make changes to the network.
Furthermore, the Solana blockchain has a throughput of over 60,000 transactions per second (TPS). Also, the average transaction fee on Solana is a fraction of a cent. As a result, this makes Solana well positioned to scale as demand grows. What’s more, Solana achieves this scalability without compromising on security or decentralization. Additionally, the Solana network can scale without needing layer-2 (L2) solutions like other prominent smart contract blockchains. Moreover, the Solana blockchain is the first of its kind to feature the novel proof-of-history (PoH) timestamping mechanism. This enables timestamping to occur before the “Tower” Byzantine fault tolerance (BFT) proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism for minimal latency.
Save our “” article for later reading to learn more about building dapps on Solana using Rust! Additionally, check out our “Crypto Terminology” article to expand your Web3 vocabulary!
Polkadot
Polkadot is an interoperable smart contract blockchain ecosystem that aims to unite the Web3 landscape. It achieves cross-chain data transfers using innovative blockchains known as “parachains”, making it easy to interoperate with multiple blockchain networks. Also, Polkadot is highly scalable and secure. It is environmentally friendly thanks to the novel nominated proof-of-stake (NPoS) consensus mechanism. Plus, it has a low barrier to entry for developers.
Polkadot’s architecture includes the Relay chain, parachains, and parathreads. The Relay chain connects all chains and dapps on Polkadot. On the other hand, parachains are autonomous chains with their own rules and parameters that run parallel to the Relay chain. Parachains are sold at auction and require projects to bond the native DOT token. Additionally, parathreads serve as temporary hosts for dapps that do not require auctions or token bonding. The native DOT token is an essential component of the Polkadot ecosystem. It is the primary medium of exchange and unit of account for decentralized applications (dapps) built on Polkadot and parachain auctions. Plus, it plays a crucial role in its innovative governance mechanism. Also, Polkadot nodes can update autonomously without the need for forking, making it future-proof and community-driven.
Furthermore, the Polkadot ecosystem comprises a variety of public, private, and consortium chains, along with various decentralized oracles. The Polkadot team uses the Rust programming language, along with JavaScript, Go, and C++. Moreover, Polkadot is expected to increase transaction throughput as the network grows.
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Hyperledger Sawtooth
Hyperledger Sawtooth is an open-source, enterprise-ready blockchain solution for building, deploying, and running distributed ledgers. The platform provides a modular framework for creating bespoke blockchain networks and “implementing transaction-based updates to shared state between untrusted parties coordinated by consensus algorithms”.
Based in San Francisco, USA, the project uses the Rust programming language. However, the team built much of the initial architecture using the Python programming language. The reason for the switch was to provide developers with a greater degree of control and flexibility over their code. The team felt it could provide greater levels of strictness and highlight more potential errors by rewriting the codebase in Rust.
Elrond
Elrond is a fast and efficient “internet-scale” sharded blockchain network for smart contract developers and enterprises. It facilitates a variety of use cases to serve the Web3 community and other industries while offering high security and low transaction fees. Also, the Elrond blockchain is much faster than many legacy blockchain networks, with a throughput of around 15,000 TPS.
Furthermore, Elrond provides cross-chain interoperability and is designed to scale with ease. It achieves this using a novel sharding mechanism and validator structure. The native EGLD token is the primary asset used throughout the Elrond ecosystem. It is used to pay for gas fees when interacting with Elrond dapps. Plus, the EGLD token is an essential part of Elrond’s secure proof-of-stake (SPoS) consensus mechanism.
One of the benefits of SPoS over conventional PoS consensus mechanisms is its triple node architecture, which includes “Validators”, “Observers”, and “Fishermen”. Validators are the primary node type. They are required to stake EGLD tokens, validate transactions, and earn EGLD tokens in return. Second, Observers are passive nodes that read and rebroadcast data throughout the network. However, Observers are not required to stake EGLD tokens and do not earn rewards. Finally, Fishermen are nodes who can challenge block data after the validation process. These nodes earn rewards according to their ability to detect bad actors throughout the network.
Near Protocol
Near Protocol is a smart contract blockchain and community-driven data storage network. The platform uses a sharding mechanism to distribute blockchain data into localized segments to reduce bottlenecking, minimize transaction fees, and increase transaction throughput. Also, Near Protocol is among the fastest blockchain networks in existence, processing up to 100,000 TPS. This makes it well-equipped for scaling to meet the growing demand for Web3 technologies.
The native NEAR token allows holders to interact with dapps throughout the Near Protocol ecosystem and allows holders to participate in the proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism. What’s more, the platform uses human-readable wallet addresses (i.e., “user.near“) instead of long-string addresses. Accordingly, Near Protocol assists in the mass adoption of Web3 by removing barriers to entry.
Furthermore, the platform features an Ethereum bridge to enable users to swap assets between the two chains. Additionally, the platform features Aurora, the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible layer-2 scaling solution that allows developers to build and deploy smart contracts on Near with minimal fees while using common Ethereum tooling.
Top 5 Blockchains Using Rust Programming Language – Summary
The Rust programming language makes it easy for blockchain developers to build innovative applications regardless of their expertise. Beyond the top blockchain networks included in this article, implementations of the Ethereum and Cardano blockchain networks exist specifically for Rust developers. What’s more, Rust is the go-to programming language for several prominent tech companies outside of Web3. This includes Amazon Web Services (AWS), Dropbox, Mozilla, Meta (formerly Facebook), Cloudflare, Coursera, and Discord.
Furthermore, Rust lowers the barrier to entry for blockchain developers without compromising performance or security. It uses a straightforward modular framework that increases productivity, enhances team workflows, and facilitates frictionless collaboration. Plus, Rust saves users time by eliminating multiple bug classes. Nonetheless, there are a few potential flaws and limitations to consider before using Rust for the first time. For example, some may find that Rust is more “wordy” than other languages. Likewise, some developers may find Rust’s editor support to lack the complexity of other platforms and crash or slow down more often than its advanced counterparts.
Moralis Academy is the ultimate blockchain andWeb3education suite. If you want to learn how to develop smart contracts on Solana using Rust, check out ourSolana Programming 101course. Here, we teach students everything they need to know to start building dapps on the Solana blockchain.
Additionally, you can learn how to create decentralized versions of popular Web2 applications with theMoralis Web3 Workshop projectsfor free! So, take your programming game to the next level today with Moralis Academy! Also, see our “How to Invest During a Crypto Bear Market” and “Understanding Crypto Crashes” articles to learn how to safeguard your crypto assets during market downturns.
FAQs
Blockchains Using The Rust Programming Language? ›
Polkadot features public, private as well as consortium chains alongside decentralized oracles. Polkadot team utilizes Rust programming language as well as C++, JavaScript, and Go.
Which blockchains use Rust language? ›Polkadot features public, private as well as consortium chains alongside decentralized oracles. Polkadot team utilizes Rust programming language as well as C++, JavaScript, and Go.
Is Solana built on Rust? ›Rust is the most common programming language to write Solana programs with. This quickstart guide will demonstrate how to quickly setup, build, and deploy your first Rust based Solana program to the blockchain.
Can you build a blockchain with Rust? ›Rust is the perfect language for blockchains, where dependability and performance are crucial. It is user-friendly, quick, dependable and memory-efficient.
Does Ethereum use Rust? ›Solidity and Rust are the two main programming languages used by web3 developers to build web3 applications on Ethereum Virtual Machine compatible blockchains and Solana respectively.
Why Solana use Rust? ›Creating Dapps on Solana
Programs are written using the Rust programming language, which was also used to build the Polkadot blockchain and Substrate. Rust enables developers to create highly scalable dapps with low fees and near-instant transaction finality.
The primary Solana programming language is Rust, but C, C++, and even Python are supported. Solana coding language uses Rust, C, and C++ in a similar way. We'll discuss Python in a later section. Rust is a compiled language.
Does Cardano use Rust? ›Cardano Rust is a modular toolbox of Cardano's cryptographic primitives, a library of wallet functions and a future alternative Cardano node implementation written in Rust.
What language does Cardano use? ›Haskell. Haskell is the fundamental language for Plutus. It is a programming language used by Cardano for its smart contract creation. Haskell also regulates Marlowe, a domain-specific language for creating Cardano's financial smart contracts.
What language is Cardano written in? ›Should I learn Rust or solidity? ›
Solidity is the popular choice for developing decentralized applications on the Ethereum Virtual Machine or EVM. On the other hand, Rust is the top priority for developers working on dApp projects based on the Solana blockchain.
Is Rust harder than solidity? ›Solidity is slower than Rust due to its high level of abstraction. In terms of ease of use, Solidity is easier to learn than Rust as its syntax is more straightforward. Rust is more complex and requires more knowledge of programming principles to be able to use it.
Is Bitcoin written in Rust? ›Rust Bitcoin Library
It is designed for Rust programs built to work with the Bitcoin network. It is also written entirely in Rust to illustrate the benefits of strong type safety, including ownership and lifetime, for financial and/or cryptographic software.
Rust has always been an integral part of the Polkadot ecosystem. It is the foundation of Substrate - the blockchain framework Polkadot and all of its parachains are built upon - and a large portion of the Polkadot community are amazing Rust developers.
What is the future of Rust language? ›1: Rust will become more standardized and grow faster
The core language is currently being adapted to a wide variety of projects. It's beginning to stabilize, and the future of Rust as a powerful language is bright.
In this liveProject series, you'll learn to use Rust to build a fintech exchange platform by applying the following skills: Use warp, reqwest, and Tokio to build an async HTTP client and server. Select data structures to process trading orders efficiently.
Why is Solana doing better than Cardano? ›Due to its network structure and heavy emphasis on security, building and running applications on Cardano will typically be slower compared to Solana, which uses a proof-of-history system. Cardano does offer relatively low transaction costs, but transaction costs on the Solana network will usually be even cheaper.
Why is Solana so much faster than Ethereum? ›Innovative technology and faster transaction speeds
Solana's blockchain network runs on an innovative consensus mechanism that Solana created called proof-of-history, or PoH. When processing blocks via proof-of-stake, PoH builds time stamps into the blockchain, which helps the network operate faster.
Polkadot's networking uses libp2p, a flexible cross-platform network framework for peer-to-peer applications. Positioned to be the standard for future decentralized applications, libp2p handles the peer discovery and communication in the Polkadot ecosystem.
What platform is Solana built on? ›Solana is a blockchain platform that was created in 2020 by Solana Labs and the Solana Foundation. Solana has been subject to several outages, and its companies have been subject to a class-action lawsuit regarding the sale of unregistered securities.
What blockchain is Solana based on? ›
Solana is a blockchain with striking similarities to Ethereum—in fact, it's often referred to as an “Ethereum killer.” Like Ethereum, the SOL token can be purchased on most major exchanges. The token's real value is in conducting transactions on the Solana network, which has unique advantages.
Does Google use Solana? ›Google had its hands on blockchain technology even before it announced its partnership with Solana in November 2022. The tech giant adopted blockchain by introducing Blockchain Node Engine to facilitate node hosting for the web3 ecosystem.
Is ADA better than Rust? ›Ada improves code safety and maintainability by using the compiler to find errors in favor of runtime errors. Rust and Ada belong to "Languages" category of the tech stack. Rust is an open source tool with 44.5K GitHub stars and 6.72K GitHub forks. Here's a link to Rust's open source repository on GitHub.
What is better than Cardano? ›Transaction Volumes
More people use Ethereum than Cardano. ETH handles approximately 1 million daily transactions versus the less than 100,000 transacted daily on Cardano.
Key Data Points. For Cardano to surpass Ethereum, Ethereum will need to fail as much as Cardano will need to succeed. But that could happen. Even Vitalik Buterin acknowledges that The Merge is not yet complete, and nobody really knows how long it will take for Ethereum to complete its full upgrade to Ethereum 2.0.
What virtual machine does Cardano use? ›Input Output Global (IOG), the organization behind the Cardano blockchain, has launched the public testnet of its proof-of-concept Ethereum virtual machine (EVM)-compatible sidechain.
What algorithm does Cardano use? ›Cardano uses the Edwards-curve Digital Signature Algorithm (EdDSA) with elliptic curve25519 as its native signature algorithm.
What language will Cardano smart contracts use? ›Programming languages
eopsin - a programming language for generic Smart Contracts based on Python.
The most common Solana Blockchain programming language is Rust.
What language was Ethereum built with? ›Solidity is the primary language on Ethereum as well as on other private blockchains, such as the enterprise-oriented Hyperledger Fabric blockchain.
Which blockchains use Python? ›
Python is the 2nd most popular programming language. Some of the popular blockchains developed using Python are Ethereum, Hyperledger Fabric, Steem, and NEO. Solidity is a new programming language designed to create Ethereum-based smart contracts.
Is Rust used in Metaverse? ›Rust is one of the languages on your resume that will be most beneficial because it gives you the resources you need to develop blockchain-specific solutions in the metaverse.
Does Solana use Solidity? ›Solana supports the use of Solidity for writing smart contracts, and it also has its own native programming language called Move. This is similar to Ethereum, which also uses Solidity as its primary language for smart contracts.
Should I learn Solidity or Solana? ›To be a backend developer, you need to know frameworks such as express js, react js, java spring, etc. Let's get straight to the point. Even if you know you want to develop on a blockchain that uses Rust (NEAR, Solana, Elrond, and so forth), you should still learn Solidity first.
Why is rust language so complicated? ›So why Rust is so hard? Rust is a systems language. To be a systems PL, it is very important not to hide underlying computer memory management from a programmer. For this reason, Rust pushes programmers to expose many details that would be otherwise hidden in more high-level languages.
Why is rust language so hard? ›Rust is difficult. It has a complex syntax and a steep learning curve. It is designed to uniquely solve some very challenging problems in programming. However, as a beginner, using Cuda or MPI on Rust is not very simple compared to the other options like Swift and Go.
Is Rust getting too complicated? ›It is hard to learn, indeed. Rust is trying to lower the learning curve though teaching materials and good compiler errors (if you think these errors are bad — they have been much worse!). Some of the core concepts around ownership are just tricky to learn, but required for the language to work.
Is AWS written in Rust? ›AWS' sponsorship of the Rust project
Rust is designed for writing and maintaining fast, reliable, and efficient code. It has seen considerable uptake since its first stable release four years ago, with companies like Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla all using Rust.
Since emerging in the same period of time, both languages are considered competitors of each other. Because of its versatility and advanced programming experience, Golang is well-known and quite popular, but on the other hand, Rust is much faster, which makes working in large teams more efficient and cost-effective.
Is Facebook written in Rust? ›Facebook has used Rust since 2016, a year after version 1.0 of the language arrived.
Could Polkadot overtake Ethereum? ›
Polkadot developers are well-known for connecting many blockchains into one platform. Polkadot has overtaken Cardano and Ethereum and is now the leading blockchain by developer activity, according to Santiment, having overtaken Ethereum and Cardano.
What blockchain is Polkadot built on? ›Technical details. The Polkadot network has a primary blockchain named "relay chain" and many user-created parallel chains called "parachains".
Is Rust in demand? ›However, there is an addition to the list of favored programming languages among software developers. Rust programming language has gained recognition due to its ability to build high-performance applications. According to Statista, Rust was the 14th most-used programming language in the world in 2022.
Does NASA use rust language? ›This project will provide Rust language support for NASA's core Flight System (cFS). The Rust language is designed to be memory-safe: it detects a wide range of programmer errors at compile-time while allowing low-level access to hardware and high performance.
Will Rust ever replace C++? ›The advancement of Rust
Many believe that Rust will replace C++ in the future due to its many advantages. Rust is a more safe and secure language than C++. It prevents buffer overflows and memory leaks by using a ownership system. This system ensures that every object is destroyed when it goes out of scope.
Rust may not replace Python outright, but it has consumed more and more of JavaScript tooling and there are increasingly many projects trying to do the same with Python/Data Engineering.
Do any big companies use Rust? ›Amazon Web Services, a subsidiary of Amazon, use Rust. Rust helps Amazon Web Services develop high-performance, secure infrastructure networking, and other systems software.
Do big companies use Rust? ›327 companies reportedly use Rust in their tech stacks, including Dropbox, Sentry, and Brilliant.
Who is using Rust in production? ›| Companies That Use Rust | Who Uses Rust at This Company? | What Does This Company Use Rust For? |
|---|---|---|
| Discord | Software engineers | Programming |
| Dropbox | Software engineers, Cloud engineers | Programming, web development |
| Figma | Software engineers | Programming |
| Software engineers, Android developers | Programming |
Tesla uses python for defining and training their computer vision models, but then ports their python code to c++ in order to run it on the car. This is known as the two language problem. Rust is a systems language with a built in package manager, which puts it in a great position to be the perfect language.
Do I need to learn Rust for Solana? ›
Since the Solana codebase is in Rust, it's important to understand the language. Here are some learning references: The Book. Rust By Example.
Is Rust or solidity better for blockchain? ›Solidity is the popular choice for developing decentralized applications on the Ethereum Virtual Machine or EVM. On the other hand, Rust is the top priority for developers working on dApp projects based on the Solana blockchain.
Is Rust a dying language? ›According to a StackOverflow survey, Rust is considered to be one of the fastest-growing programming languages and has been ranked as the most liked language by its users.
Which companies use Rust language? ›Ever since the Rust Foundation released the popular programming language 11 years ago, it has been adopted by many industry leaders, including Mozilla, Dropbox, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.
Is Rust harder than Solidity? ›Solidity is slower than Rust due to its high level of abstraction. In terms of ease of use, Solidity is easier to learn than Rust as its syntax is more straightforward. Rust is more complex and requires more knowledge of programming principles to be able to use it.
Is it better to learn C or Rust? ›It is much easier to learn C than Rust, but it is easier to write reliable software in Rust than C. After decades of using C and C++ and a bunch of other compiled languages I won't bore you with, I refute the idea that "Rust is harder than C".
Which is harder to learn Rust or Go? ›While Go is relatively easier than Rust, it has a steeper learning curve than other languages like JavaScript and Python. Go was designed with a relatively simpler syntax than Rust and was adopted as an easier alternative to C++ compromising memory allocation and memory safety, but comes with concurrency.
What is the best language to code blockchain? ›Solidity
Solidity is the most used and stable Blockchain Programming language recommended by developers worldwide.
Solidity is currently the core language on Ethereum and other private blockchains operating on competing platforms, such as Monax and its Hyperledger Burrow blockchain which uses Tendermint for consensus. SWIFT has created a proof of concept that runs on Burrow and uses Solidity.
What are the fastest blockchain other than Ethereum? ›Algorand (Algo)
The platform can process up to 1000 transactions per second (TPS), which is significantly higher than other popular Blockchain platforms like Ethereum and Bitcoin.
What major software is written in Rust? ›
- Dropbox. Dropbox's file-syncing engine is partially built with Rust code. ...
- Figma. Figma is a web-based design tool for vector graphics and interface prototypes. ...
- Cloudflare. ...
- Facebook. ...
- Discord. ...
- Amazon. ...
- Microsoft Corporation. ...
- Facebook.