Go

Go to Rust Series: ← String vs &str | Series Overview The Problem: Nil and Errors Tony Hoare (inventor of null references) called it his “billion-dollar mistake.” Go’s approach: nil values and explicit error returns Rust’s approach: Option<T> for absence, Result<T, E> for errors Go: Nil Pointers Go: func findUser(id int) *User { if id == 0 { return nil } return &User{ID: id, Name: "Alice"} } func main() { user := findUser(0) if user != nil { fmt.Println(user.Name) } else { fmt.Println("User not found") } } Problem: Easy to forget nil check: ...

Go to Rust Series: ← Mut vs Immutable | Series Overview | Option and Result → The Confusion Go has one string type: var s string = "hello" Rust has two main string types: let s1: String = String::from("hello"); // Owned string let s2: &str = "hello"; // String slice Why two types? It’s one of the most confusing aspects for Go developers learning Rust. Go: One String Type Go: package main import "fmt" func main() { // All of these are just "string" s1 := "hello" s2 := "world" s3 := s1 + " " + s2 printString(s1) printString(s3) } func printString(s string) { fmt.Println(s) } Simple. Everything is string. ...

Go to Rust Series: ← Lifetimes Explained | Series Overview | String vs &str → The Default Difference Go: Everything is mutable by default Rust: Everything is immutable by default This single difference shapes how you write code in each language. Go: Mutable by Default Go: func main() { x := 10 x = 20 // No problem x = x + 5 // No problem fmt.Println(x) // 25 } Variables are mutable unless you use const (which is very limited): const PI = 3.14 // Compile-time constant only PI = 3.14159 // Error Rust: Immutable by Default Rust: ...

Go to Rust Series: ← No Garbage Collector | Series Overview | Mut vs Immutable → The Concept Go Doesn’t Need Lifetimes are Rust’s way of tracking how long references are valid—all at compile time. Go doesn’t need lifetimes because the garbage collector tracks reference validity at runtime. Rust needs them because there’s no GC. Go: References Just Work Go: func getFirst(a, b string) string { if len(a) > len(b) { return a } return b } func main() { x := "short" y := "longer" result := getFirst(x, y) fmt.Println(result) } No annotations needed. GC ensures result stays valid. ...

Go to Rust Series: ← Ownership and Borrowing | Series Overview | Lifetimes Explained → The Fundamental Trade-Off Go: Automatic memory management via garbage collection Rust: Compile-time memory management via ownership Both approaches have profound implications for performance, predictability, and developer experience. How Go’s GC Works Go: func allocateData() { for i := 0; i < 1000000; i++ { data := make([]byte, 1024) // Use data... // No explicit free needed } } Go’s GC: Tracks all allocations Periodically stops the world (STW) Scans for reachable objects Frees unreachable memory GC pause times: Typically 1-10ms, but can spike higher. ...

Go to Rust Series: ← The Rust Compiler | Series Overview | No Garbage Collector → The Core Difference Ownership is Rust’s most important concept—and the one Go completely lacks. In Go, the garbage collector handles memory. In Rust, the ownership system handles memory at compile time, with zero runtime cost. Go’s Approach: Share and GC Go: package main import "fmt" func main() { data := []int{1, 2, 3} // Pass to multiple functions printData(data) modifyData(data) printData(data) // Still usable fmt.Println(data) } func printData(d []int) { fmt.Println(d) } func modifyData(d []int) { d[0] = 999 // Modifies original } Output: ...

Go to Rust Series: ← Setting Up Rust | Series Overview | Ownership and Borrowing → The First Encounter Week 1 with Go: I shipped features. Week 1 with Rust: I fought the compiler. This isn’t a bug—it’s Rust’s design. The compiler is strict, verbose, and often frustrating. But after fighting it for weeks, I realized: it’s actually trying to help me. Compiler Philosophy Go: Trust the Developer Go’s compiler does basic checks and gets out of your way: ...

Go to Rust Series: ← Hello World Comparison | Series Overview | The Rust Compiler → Installation: First Impressions Go: Download and Done Installation: Go to golang.org/dl Download installer for your OS Run installer Done Verify: $ go version go version go1.22.0 linux/amd64 That’s it. Go is installed. One binary, one version, ready to use. Where it lives: $ which go /usr/local/go/bin/go Single installation directory. Simple. Rust: The Rustup Way Installation: $ curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh This installs rustup, Rust’s toolchain manager (like nvm for Node or rbenv for Ruby). ...

Go to Rust Series: ← Cargo vs Go Modules | Series Overview | Setting Up Rust → The “Simple” Hello World Every programming tutorial starts with “Hello, World!” It’s supposed to be trivial. But comparing Go and Rust versions reveals fundamental philosophical differences. Go’s Hello World main.go: package main import "fmt" func main() { fmt.Println("Hello, World!") } Compile and run: go run main.go Output: Hello, World! Done. Five lines. Zero surprises. Rust’s Hello World main.rs: ...

Go to Rust Series: ← Day 1 Impressions | Series Overview | Hello World Comparison → First Impression: Cargo is Actually Great After struggling with Rust’s ownership system on Day 1, I expected the tooling to be equally complex. I was wrong. Cargo is fantastic. Coming from Go modules (which are already pretty good), Cargo feels like a spiritual successor with better UX. Project Initialization Go: mkdir myproject cd myproject go mod init github.com/username/myproject Creates go.mod: ...