Preface

If you are holding this book, you are probably curious about Rust. Maybe you heard about it from a colleague who wouldn’t stop talking about how great it is. Maybe you read an article about it online. Or, perhaps you have been following my content for a while and finally decided to see what all the excitement is about. Whatever brought you here, I am glad you made it.

This book has two main goals. We will master the fundamentals and examine real, practical examples. In my extensive experience as a teacher, I have found that these two things work best when combined. We will not just look at theory in a vacuum. We will use it to build things.

Rust has incredible potential for the future. I honestly believe it will become the best language for the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI). When we code with AI, we need the final result to be high-performance, but we also need something that is easy to read and modify. Rust hits that perfect balance between speed and clarity.

You will also get very familiar with the famous Rust compiler. I like to describe the compiler as an “annoying grandma.” She is grumpy, picky, moves a bit slowly, and is always complaining about what you are doing. It can be frustrating at first! But you have to remember that, just like a grandma, she only complains because she wants the best for you. She wants you to be safe.

Be prepared for some mind-blowing moments during this learning process. Rust does not just feel different. It is different. This is especially true when discussing memory management. It requires a shift in how you think, but I will save the details of that for the later chapters.

The journey ahead will be challenging at times, but it will also be rewarding. You are learning about a tool that will make you a better developer, no matter what language you use in the future.

So, grab a coffee, open your laptop, and let’s get started. Let’s crush it!