How I learned Rust from a JavaScript Developer

Starting to learn a new programming language is always a challenge, but also exciting and exciting. Recently, I decided to embark on a new journey with Rust, a system-oriented programming language developed by Mozilla. Here's my process and my experiences.

Why 🤔

Before I started studying Rust, I wondered: Why would I want to learn a new programming language? The boost may come from the need for higher performance, more memory control, data type security, or simply curiosity. For me, Rust appears to be a solution to the problems of multi-stream and secure memory handling, where JavaScript is often limited.

Advantages or Disadvantages?

I was wondering if having experience with JavaScript would be an advantage. Although JavaScript and Rust differ significantly in syntax and purpose, the basic programming skills I have accumulated have become a solid foundation. Specifically, my problem-solving ability, my understanding of data structures and algorithms, and my new passion for learning helped me quickly adapt to Rust.

From 'var' to 'let' and'mut': Datatype Encounter

As a JavaScript developer, I'm used to not having to declare variable types. Rust, on the contrary, requires everything to be clear and secure from the data type – which at first made me a little overwhelmed. However, after getting used to the concept of ownership and borrowing, I started to see the beauty of managing memory in a transparent way.

Rustup and Cargo: Comrades

During this transition, I had to get acquainted with Rustup – the Rust installation and version management tool, and Cargo – the build and package management system. Compared to npm in the field of JavaScript, Cargo offers a sophisticated and efficient project management experience with very little configuration required.

Discover the Library and Tools

One of the greatest aspects of learning Rust is a supportive community. Crates.io, similar to npm, becomes an invaluable resource for searching and using libraries. Besides, I used tools like Clippy to analyze code and find improvements, helping me avoid common mistakes.

Create First Project and Feel

For my first project, I decided to write a snake-hunting mini-game. Not only did this process help me understand how to use data types, it also helped me understand Rust's multi-string model and how to operate with the file system.

Lessons and Plans Next

Learning Rust is a continuous process. With every line of code, I learned something new and a different approach to programming. Looking to the future, I intend to build projects that are bigger, deeper, and deliver impressive performance - something I've dreamed of since I was a JavaScript developer.

If you're a JavaScript programmer who wants to explore Rust, I just want to say that you will definitely get the sweet fruits of this journey 😍