A Quick Introduction to Rust

Rust is growing in popularity, but it has a reputation for having a steep learning curve. However, if taught correctly, this learning curve can be reduced. By covering the basic rules around Rust, as well as learning how to manipulate a range of data types and variables, we will be able to write simple programs in the same fashion as dynamically typed languages, using a similar number of lines of code.

Understanding the basics is the key to effective web programming in Rust. I have maintained entire Kubernetes clusters where all the servers are written in Rust. Because I utilized traits, error handling, and generics effectively, it made reusing code in Rust extremely effective. In my experience, it takes fewer lines of code to build out Rust servers than it does Python servers if the basics of Rust are well utilized.

The goal of this chapter is to cover the main differences between Rust and generic dynamic languages and to provide you with a quick understanding of how to utilize Rust.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

• What is Rust?
• Reviewing data types and variables in Rust
• Controlling variable ownership
• Building structs

Once we have covered the main concepts in this chapter, you will be able to code basic programs in Rust that will run. You will also be able to debug your programs and understand the error messages that are thrown by the Rust compiler. As a result, you will have the foundations to be productive in Rust. You will also be able to move on to structuring Rust code over multiple files.

In this chapter and the following chapter, we will cover enough Rust to be productive in web programming. However, we will not be able to do the entire Rust programming language justice in two chapters. If you want to dive deeper into the Rust programming language after reading this chapter, then you can explore the further reading list at the end of the chapter.