Blockchain has become increasingly relevant in recent decades, and this is well demonstrated by Demand Sage research. By 2026, the worldwide blockchain market will be worth $67.4 billion. If you don’t want to lose your relevance and be on trend, now is the time to delve into the field of blockchain. So, how to choose the right technology for development?
The purpose of this article is to highlight the differences between Go (Golang) and Rust programming languages. We will discuss their main advantages and disadvantages so that you will be able to select the best language for your future framework. Let’s start from the beginning — what you need for the development of a successful blockchain app.
What Is Required To Develop A Flawless Blockchain App?
Databases developed using blockchain technology are notoriously difficult to hack or manipulate, which makes them an ideal place to store sensitive data. Blockchain software improvement requires an understanding of how this technology works. To master framework software creation, developers have to be familiar with interdisciplinary concepts and popular programming languages for blockchain, such as Rust and Golang.
Programming for blockchain differs from traditional application building in several important ways. In fact, the effort is primarily spent on additional issues, such as deciding the most appropriate incentive scheme, the desired degree of transparency, specific group permissions, and so on.
Principal creators are responsible for the entire life cycle of blockchain application development. This process includes researching architecture and determining options for using on-chain apps. Innovators also optimize the blockchain database for different systems.
The main part of the development of blockchain applications focuses on information architecture, that is, how the database should actually be structured, and how that data should be distributed and accessed with different levels of permission. For example, spread registry technology should be the basis.
This decision, in turn, will affect everything: which parties will have access to particular data, how it will be shared between different groups, whether a majority vote will ensure that the information changes, and so on.
So, let’s focus on the most suitable programming languages for developing a great blockchain application, describing their strengths, weaknesses and use cases.
The Main Features You Need To Know About Rust Blockchain Language
Rust is a system programming language that runs fast, prevents almost all crashes and removes data-sharing uncertainties. Mozilla developed it as a tool to build Servo — its next-generation browser.
Mozilla employee Graydon Hore started forming the language in his spare time, in 2006. He had been working on his own for three years, until 2009 when Mozilla officially got involved. Rust language was officially released in 2010. The first alpha release of the language took place in 2012 — Rust was used to develop Servo, a web browser engine. In 2013, Samsung joined the work on Servo, and as a result, this code was ported to the ARM architecture.
We have selected 5 main features of Rust language for you:
- Concise syntax with keywords, similar to C++ syntax.
- Code parser to avoid memory leaks and multi-threading errors.
- Self-control of data location in memory (using pointers).
- No garbage collection.
- Powerful statistical typing.
Main Advantages, Disadvantages and Use Cases Of Rust
In this part, we’ll check out the difficulties you may encounter and look at the strengths of the language.
Arguments for using Rust language:
- There are abstractions that make it easy to regulate memory manually.
- A reliable system of interaction with memory, which eliminates errors of segmentation.
- Automatic presentation of ways to fix compilation errors.
- The compiler contains a builder and package manager, as well as tools for testing and creating documentation.
- No pointers can be used in safe code.
- Available description of errors in templates.
Arguments against using Rust:
- The compiler is too strict in fixing memory calls.
- No typical OOP-style inheritance and classes.
Rust code conforms to the four major concepts in programming: procedural, parallel, functional, and OOP. Therefore, Rust is a versatile language that can be applied in many areas — there are almost 7 basic examples of using it. They are programming client applications and web servers, blockchain, creating your own operating system, writing programs and applications to monitor systems and servers, development of general-purpose software, infrastructure creation and writing engines for browsers and games.
Rust Language For Blockchain Coding
One of the most essential requirements of blockchain networks is the high speed of operation within the web at a low level of server load. Many blockchains (e.g., Ethereum or Bitcoin) use C++ functionality to implement such conditions. Considering the above, creating infrastructure in Rust will be more effective.
Here are some examples of blockchain usage:
- Solana blockchain project development service.
- Exonum framework for the same purpose.
- MaidSafe — a decentralized platform for storing and working with information.
Rust Language For Neural Networks
So far, neural networks in Rust are mostly experiments. The language looks quite appealing for machine learning: it has low-level memory handling while using high-level abstractions, as well as high performance. All of this works on the Rust API and bodes well for its popularity. But so far in the Rust language ecosystem, there are almost no 100% proven and safe frameworks for neural network development that can compete with Python libraries.
The Main Features You Need To Know About Go / Golang Blockchain Language
Go is a programming language for crypto developed by Google Corporation, it is often also called “Golang”, short for “Google language”. It is a compiled and multithreaded language that was liberated in November 2009, with the most recent release of 1.6 dating back to February 2016.
One of the key figures involved in the creation of Go is Rob Pike, a well-known developer of compiled languages as well as operating systems, currently working for Google. Speaking at one of the conferences, he mentioned that Go is an attempt to adopt the best aspects of such languages as C++ and Java.
In Go, they tried to combine the speed development characteristic of C-like languages and the ease of development typical for Python. It was intended to be universal and now Golang for blockchain is best suited for server-side applications: parsers, complex computing systems, and multithreaded apps. It is used primarily in the backend, that is, in the development of the logic of applications and sites.
Google created the language so that even the most inexperienced programmers could write efficient code. At the time, it was more profitable to create a tool that could be handled without long training, instead of teaching developers almost from scratch.
The main feature of Go is its minimalism. Other compiled languages change, acquiring new features. The Go language was originally designed to be perfect for the task at hand, so it only changes to improve existing tools rather than adding new ones.
One of the distinctive features of the language is an original type system: it does not use inheritance (one of the principles of object-oriented programming). Go also operates a reduced syntax for defining variables and the syntax of anonymous functions.
Another feature of this language is parallelism, which means that any function can be executed simultaneously with another. Since Go is one of the best programming languages, there are regular discussions about the appropriateness of its use. In this part of the article, we will try to find out how popular the Go language is, whether it has any perspectives for development and what programmers think about this language.
Main Advantages, Disadvantages and Use Cases Of Golang
In this part, we will look at the challenges you may face while applying Go for the development of your blockchain app.
Arguments for the Go language:
- Simple and straightforward syntax. It makes writing efficient code a pleasure.
- Static typing. It avoids inattention errors, simplifies code reading and understanding, and makes efficient code unambiguous.
- A departure from OOP. There are no classes in the Go language, but there are data structures with methods.
- Parallelism. Parallel computing in a language is done simply, gracefully and without headaches.
- A rich standard library. The language has everything you need for full-stack web development and beyond.
- Ability to write in a functional style. Functions are first-order objects, they can be passed as arguments and used as data types.
Arguments against Go language
- Unobvious cycles “by value”.
- Questionable compiler severity.
Golang Language For Blockchain Coding
Go is a compiled language, so it reduces the on-the-fly error burden of interpreted languages such as Python. This is similar to C++, where code is compiled first, outputs an error and prompts for a fix, and then only executes.
Here is an example of using Golang language in the blockchain — GoCoin is a complete Bitcoin solution written in it. The software architecture is focused on maximum node performance and cold storage security of the wallet, and it is designed to be used offline.
Golang for blockchain was developed to be a language for creating various high-performance programs, but most programmers agree that it is best suited for developing web applications (as a back-end). At the same time, Go allows you to write other projects, such as Docker, InfluxDB and Kubernetes. Basically, the use of Go is limited to three main directions: networking software, console utilities and backend.
Rust vs Go: Which Is Better For Blockchain?
Below, we have gathered for you the 11 main Go vs Rust performance differences.
| Rust performance | Go performance |
| Faster | Slower |
| No garbage collector | A convenient garbage collector |
| The use of abstractions instead of classes | The use of an interface instead of classes |
| Not as good in software development | Good for enterprise software development |
| Forces developers to code in a safe environment | Does not force developers to write safe code |
| Performance is great | Low quality of performance |
| Low level of readability | Readability is high |
| The use is limited to a few resources | The use is wider |
| Uses a compiler to run the program | The compilation is lower |
| No synchronization mechanism | Helps with inefficient network communication |
| The usage of a range to iterate numbers | The usage of a loop to iterate numbers |
Wrapping Up
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. But the choice depends on you.
We can go deeper into both blockchain programming languages by analyzing the aspects of the Go vs. Rust comparison. But your choice between Rust and Go needs to be based on your development and business goals. As the competition continues, each language has its advantages and disadvantages. Contact us to select the best language for your future project.
FAQs
Rust vs Go — What to choose while developing a blockchain app? | LITSLINK Blog? ›
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 Rust good for blockchain? ›It is one of the most popular programming languages suited for blockchain developers. Developers seeking a list of blockchains using the Rust programming language must know that Rust offers the facility for developing secure applications seamlessly.
Is Go good for blockchain development? ›Go is preferred by many developers worldwide for Blockchain Programming development because of its prominent features. Golang is developer-friendly, easy-to-use, rapid, and non-rigid which is beneficial for fresher as well as tech freaks.
Should I use Golang or Rust? ›Both languages have a different scope. Golang shines for writing microservices and for typical “DevOps” tasks, but it is not a systems programming language. Rust is stronger for tasks where concurrency, safety and/or performance are important; but it has a steeper learning curve than Go.
What is the best programming language for blockchain development? ›- Solidity. Influenced by JavaScript, Powershell, and C++, Solidity is the first blockchain programming language that one must learn. ...
- Java. ...
- Python. ...
- JavaScript. ...
- PHP. ...
- C++ ...
- C# ...
- Go.
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 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.
What is the best blockchain to build dApps on? ›Founded in 2013, Ethereum is the most popular blockchain network for Web3 and decentralized apps (dApps). With the most trusted execution environments among all blockchain solutions and pioneering smart contract functionality, Ethereum platform is second only to Bitcoin in market capitalization.
Which blockchain do developers prefer? ›Layer-1 blockchain overview
It's no surprise that Ethereum leads the race on total developers, with a total of 2,980 developers in 2020, and 3,920 in 2021.
- Cardano: eco-friendly future blockchain.
- SushiSwap: Community-driven decentralized exchange.
- Ethereum: The OG smart contract platform.
- Solana.
- RobotEra.
- Polygon.
- Polkadot.
- Avalanche.
Should I learn Rust or Go in 2023? ›
Go is an excellent choice if you're starting a new project or refactoring an existing codebase. Rust: It fails to offer smooth code maintenance mainly because of its steep learning curve. The language has a lot of concepts that developers need to learn before they can even start writing applications in it.
Why use Rust instead of Go? ›Rust will almost always beat Go in run-time benchmarks due to its fine-grained control over how threads behave and how resources are shared between threads. Both Rust and Go use a standard formatting tool—gofmt for Go and rustfmt for Rust—which rewrites your code automatically using the canonical style.
What is the downside of Rust programming? ›Learning Curve and Development
Rust's learning curve is high and in order to understand most of the main part of it, one should be familiar with C++ or any object-oriented language. Also, the speed at which the development of code can be done is not as good as some of its peer languages.
Other than Python and JavaScript, C++ is the most popular programming language in the tech world today. Moreover, its amazing features such as move semantics, multithreading, and object-oriented programming, make it one of the most popular languages in the case of Blockchain as well.
Is it worth to learn blockchain in 2023? ›Blockchain development is among one of the fastest-growing fields in the IT industry. It is one of the top picks to choose from for 2023. I hope this article will help you to understand Blockchain development, tools, and technologies used, salary trends, etc.
What language is Cardano written in? ›Rust is designed to be a general purpose language, like C++, by balancing the “trifecta” of general purpose programming languages: speed, safety, and expressiveness (in terms of the features the language provides). Like go, rust is a great language, but they are great in different ways, so rust will never replace go.
Why Rust is popular in blockchain? ›In fact, Rust is often compared to C++ in terms of performance, but with stronger security guarantees. This makes it an ideal choice for building blockchain applications that require fast transaction processing, such as payment systems, supply chain management, and asset tracking.
What is the most popular programming language for blockchain? ›JavaScript is the best coding language for blockchain and is primarily used to build highly interactive web pages.
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 Solidity enough to become a blockchain developer? ›
Yes, it is. However, Solidity is the perfect next step for developers with experience in either Python or Javascript, but it's also relatively easy enough to learn when you are following a set training goal that even beginners can pick it up with no prior experience.
Is Rust good for smart contracts? ›Rust is an ideal smart contract language: It is type safe, memory safe, and free of undefined behaviors. It generates small binaries because it doesn't include extra bloat, like a garbage collector, and advanced optimizations and tree shaking remove dead code.
What is the easiest blockchain to develop smart contracts on? ›Trusted by. That said, Ethereum is widely considered to be the best general-use smart contract platform. Such a platform can be used for everything from ICOs to facilitating smart contract use with almost any kind of decentralized application. A final concern is Ethereum's success itself.
What is the best blockchain to build games on? ›Ethereum:-
It is the best blockchain and the oldest platform to create NFT games. It is an open-source platform with its own cryptocurrency called Ether (or ETH). Based on blockchain technology, this platform makes and runs decentralized apps.
1. LeewayHertz. LeewayHertz is a top-tier blockchain development company with over 15 years of experience building enterprise applications. They specialize in delivering customized blockchain solutions to businesses of all sizes, utilizing their expertise in Hyperledger, EVM, Solidity, Cosmos and Substrate.
What is the highest paying blockchain developers? ›...
These are the top skills of a Blockchain Developer based on 459 jobs posted by employers.
- Javascript.
- Cryptography.
- Python.
- Data Structures.
- C++
According to an article by LinkedIn, blockchain engineer skills have the highest demand in 2020. This in turn means, aspiring or existing engineers will develop relevant skills. So, that will enable them to work on blockchain applications. Also, they will get command in technologies and gain knowledge in this area.
What are the top 3 blockchains and why? ›- Ethereum. Introduced in 2013, Ethereum is one of the oldest and most established blockchain platforms. ...
- IBM Blockchain. ...
- Hyperledger Fabric. ...
- Hyperledger Sawtooth. ...
- R3 Corda.
Solana is the fastest blockchain in the world and the fastest-growing ecosystem in crypto, with thousands of projects spanning Defi, NFTs, Web3, and more. Solana ensures composability between ecosystem projects by maintaining a single global state as the network scales.
What is next top blockchain startup? ›The Next Top Blockchain Startup is a virtual hackathon, competition and accelerator program helping spotlight the next wave of blockchain entrepreneurs.
How much do Rust developers make? ›
| Seniority | Avg Yearly Salary | Min Yearly Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Junior | $60k | $15k |
| Middle | $100k | $60k |
| Senior | $130k | $100k |
Thanks to Rust-friendly technologies like WebAssembly and WASI, it's also finding its way into the cloud. It's no wonder, since Rust makes for a better development experience, enhances safety and increases program speed. But Rust also makes you a better developer.
Is Rust still popular 2023? ›Rust was first released in early access in December 2013 and built a significant player base until its full release in February 2018. In February 2023, Rust had more than 167.83 thousand peak concurrent players on Steam.
Is Rust good for Microservices? ›With its support for concurrency, Rust suits modern apps and microservices. It provides type-level guarantees for values that can be shared simultaneously between threads.
Why not to use Rust programming language? ›Moreover, it is slow. Rust is a snail compared to other languages. Even for small projects, the compile times are painfully long, and runtime measurements show that Rust is less efficient than the C programs. Imagine rewriting C libraries that have had decades of scrutiny applied only to introduce new bugs.
Is Rust a good backend language? ›Rust is a backend programming language used worldwide to build cross-platform solutions. It has features of C and C++ but is much more focused on memory safety. It's fast, memory-efficient, and easily interacts with other languages.
Is Rust good for app development? ›Rust Facilitates Powerful Web Application Development
If you are accustomed to developing web applications in high-level languages like Java or Python, then you will love working with Rust. With Rust, you can be fairly more confident that the code will be error-free.
In summary, Rust might be the best choice for data engineering if speed, performance and reliability are your top priorities, you're working with Apache Arrow, if safety and security are highly prioritized, and when you might want to have rigidly defined data types.
What is the criticism of Rust programming language? ›Rust has its fair share of criticism. Among them are its complex syntax and a steep learning curve; slow compilations; limited choice of compilers and target architectures compared to C; limited tooling; limited or immature third-party libraries; unsafe and difficult integrations with other languages.
What is the trend in blockchain in 2023? ›One of the biggest blockchain trends 2023 is the growth in enterprise operations that rely on blockchain. The decentralized nature of blockchains offers improved security, transparency and protection from cyber attacks, which is why more companies are likely to leverage this technology to their benefit.
What is the future of blockchain developers in 2030? ›
According to a research by Grand View Research, the Web 3.0 blockchain market size is expected to reach USD 33.53 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 44.9% from 2022 to 2030. Looking at the potential of blockchain and the various developments in the space, blockchain has become an enthralling concept.
Should I learn Solidity 2023? ›If you wish to step into the field of Blockchain and develop smart contracts, then you need to get familiar with Solidity programming. Some key reasons to learn Solidity are: Creating smart contracts to program money and move it based on certain conditions being met.
Can I become blockchain developer in 3 months? ›Learning resources
You can complete it in two months if you put in 10 hours per week. You'll learn about designing and implementing smart contracts and various methods for developing decentralized applications on blockchain.
If you want to learn about Blockchain technologies, let me tell you you are not too late to be a part of the movement. You have ample opportunities, whether you are a coder or not. Yes, you heard it right.
How long does IT take to become a good blockchain developer? ›You also require specific training in blockchain basics and applications. For beginners, it can take about 2 years to become a professional developer, right from scratch.
What language is Solana built with? ›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.
What language is Solana chain written in? ›The programming languages for the Solana chain are Rust, C, and C++, with Rust being the preferred language among developers.
What language is Solana crypto written in? ›The most common Solana Blockchain programming language is Rust.
Will 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.
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.
Is Rust good for cryptography? ›
The programming language Rust [1] is becoming more and more popular and is increasingly used for cryptography. In Rust's favour is the fact that the language promises very secure memory management, making errors such as buffer overflows and use-after-free less likely.
What blockchain is built on Rust? ›Polkadot
Polkadot is mentioned in the first entry among blockchains that use the Rust programming language. It is a blockchain ecosystem built on smart contracts that has the benefit of interoperability to support web3 trends.
If you've read our article about blockchain programming languages, you know that the smart contracts on Solana are developed either in C or Rust. Most projects in fact choose Rust, simply because it is safer and easier to use.
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.
Should I build on Solana or Ethereum? ›Solana has several advantages over Ethereum, such as higher scalability, better security of data, faster speed in processing transactions, and cheaper fees for executing smart contracts. It is a new DLT that uses Proof of History to store data transactions. Solana and Ethereum are both DLTs.
What blockchain does Solana run 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.
Why is Rust good for smart contracts? ›Rust is an ideal smart contract language: It is type safe, memory safe, and free of undefined behaviors. It generates small binaries because it doesn't include extra bloat, like a garbage collector, and advanced optimizations and tree shaking remove dead code.
What is Rust best suited for? ›Rust is ideal for performance-critical applications because Rust is memory efficient without garbage collection or run time. Rust is Memory and thread safe because of its ownership model and type system.
Is Rust good for algorithms? ›Rust works well for processing large amounts of data and other CPU-intensive operations, such as executing algorithms. This is Rust's biggest edge over Go; projects that demand high performance are generally better suited for Rust.
Which blockchain is the best to build on? ›Ethereum is the best secure block chain based secure crypto currency platform. I helps to develop secure transparent crypto currency solutions for our customers.
Can you write Ethereum smart contracts in Rust? ›
Rust is the preferred programming language for writing smart contracts on NEAR. Rust offers many features like memory safety, small runtime, etc. This allows us to write a smart contract that doesn't have memory bugs and consumes less storage on the blockchain.
What blockchain are most games built on? ›Many blockchain games are built on Ethereum, so you would need to purchase Ether to play them.