What is the difference between Rust and C++?

In the programming world, there is a constant development and evolution of tools for improving efficiency and reliability. This allows developers to devise efficient solutions to their problems.

Rust vs. C++

Two programming languages Rust and C++ have gained significant popularity over recent years. Both languages are efficient and powerful while offering low-level control to the developer.

However, the two languages in context are diverse in numerous key aspects. These differentiating factors play a great role in deducing the feasibility of both languages for their use in a specific system or framework.

First, let's see what a simple Rust program looks like.

Now, let's take a look at a simple C++ program to differentiate between the two programming languages.

Now we will shed some light on the unique features of both of these languages to help developers make informed decisions.

Memory management

In the context of programming languages, memory management refers to the manner in which a program allocates or deallocates the memory resources associated with the system.

It involves tracking the memory resources, allocating them when needed, and deallocating them when they are no longer required.

Memory management in C++

C++ manages memory in the following ways.

• Provides a wide variety of management options.

• Includes manual memory management using raw pointers.Memory addresses that directly point to a specific location in the computer's memory, allowing direct manipulation of data

• Including automatic memory management using smart pointers.Smart pointers are objects that provide automatic memory management by keeping track of the allocated memory and automatically deallocating it when it is no longer needed.

• Allows developers to have complete control over memory allocation.

• Exposes the program to potential memory leaks, dangling pointers, and overflows.

Memory management in Rust

On the other hand, Rust uses an ownership systemThe system in which each resource has a unique owner from which others can borrow those resources for a certain amount of time along with a borrow checkerBorrow checker checks if the resource in context is borrowed or not to manage memory resources.

How does Rust's ownership system work

Rust provides automatic memory allocation through its ownership system and borrow checker. This ensures that each piece of memory has a unique owner. The owner has the exclusive right to modify or deallocate the memory.

Rust's ownership system and borrow checker significantly enhance memory safety and enable safe concurrent programming. This makes writing safe, reliable, and concurrent code in an easy manner without sacrificing performance.

Rust encompasses the following features.

• Enforces strict compile-time checks.

• Ownership system eliminates data racesA data race is a concurrency bug that occurs when two or more threads access a shared memory location concurrently without proper synchronization,. at compile-time.

• Allows one mutable reference and multiple immutable references to a particular data.

• Also features automatic memory management.

• Reduces the chances of memory leaks.

Programming Paradigms

Programming paradigms refer to different programming styles or approaches that define the structure and integrity of the code. There are a number of programming paradigms that are in use these days such as Object-oriented Programming, functional programming, etc.

Paradigms in C++

• Multi-paradigm language.

• Supports procedural, object-oriented, and generic programming.

• Offers flexibility in choosing a feasible programming paradigm according to requirements.

• Allows developers to take advantage of the language's versatility.

Paradigms in Rust

• Embraces functional programming concepts.

• Also supports imperative and object-oriented paradigms.

• Encourages the development of modular, reusable, and clean code.

• Emphasizes developing coding blocks that can be efficiently shared across different processes.

Program safety

Safety is one of the greatest aspects when choosing a programming language. The safety features of a language are crucial for the creation of a safe and reliable system.

Safety guarantees in C++

• Doesn't enforce any strict safety guidelines by default.

• Gives developers the freedom to optimize their code.

• No built-in mechanisms for the prevention of common programming mistakes.

• Makes the system potentially vulnerable to various threats.

Safety guarantees in Rust

• Places a strong emphasis on safety guidelines.

• Include both compile and run-time checks for ensuring safety.

• Ownership system helps in the prevention of programming errors.

• Encompasses a user-friendly compiler that catches many bugs and ensures memory safety.

• Promotes zero-cost abstractions principle that enables the development of safe code without the sacrifice of improvement.

Summary

C++ and Rust are both powerful languages with distinct approaches to memory management, safety guarantees, and programming paradigms. The summary of key differences between both these languages can be seen in the table below.