Python Vs. Rust: A Comparison Of Key Distinctions

Python and Rust are two all good and fun programming languages. Definitely. But is Rust better than Python?

In this article we’ll compare them head-to-head, based on ease of use, speed, security, and the presence (absence, perhaps) of certain features.

Python is an extremely popular programming environment used for web development, script automation, machine learning, and software development.

In general, no other language can replace it.

But Rust tried to do so.

Rust is a multi-paradigm, high-level, general-purpose programming language designed for performance and safety-including parallelism. It’s much more complex than Python, but it has two important advantages over it.

These are high performance, C/C++ compability (while Rust is not like them at all), and a reliable safety mechanisms.

Aaand it’s just a small part. Just the first thing that comes to mind.

Interested?

Let’s continue our little study and determine the winner in the Rust programming language vs Python battle!

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Rust vs Python

Below we have checked the most important aspects when it comes to programming languages. We have compared Rust and Python on these aspects and drawn some conclusions.

Feel free to get acquinted with them.

Complexity, memory issues

Let’s start with perhaps the most important criterion when choosing a language.

Ease of the syntax and implementation.

Python is known for its easy learning curve. Even with minimal knowledge, you can write useful scripts and put off learning more complex concepts until later. For this reason, Python is ideal for professionals who need to solve business problems through programming, and for beginners who have no programming experience.

Rust, on the other hand, may seem too complicated. Why is that? Because it is full of concepts that need to be understood at once, otherwise nothing will work out. An example of such a concept is the ownership system. Its essence is that each object has only one owner, who is responsible for operations with it.

This prevents errors related to memory leaks or double sharing of resources.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Python is simpler. We give it one point here.

Python – 1, Rust – 0.

Speed

When it comes to speed, Rust usually beats its adversary.

The fact is that Rust is a compiled language with low-level memory abstraction and multithreading, which allows it to process large amounts of data faster than its rival.

However, Python also loses in that it is hampered by its own garbage collector. This can cause performance delays.

But!

Python still provides an opportunity for rapid prototyping, largely due to its rich math library.

Let’s give each nominee one pip here.

Python – 2, Rust – 1.

Framework and ecosystem features

It’s hard to compete with the Python ecosystem. Libraries for computing, data analysis, neural networks (Numpy, Pandas, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-Learn, etc.) have already become a standard in the data science and ML/AI industries.

But Rust actually has a lot more to offer. Its ecosystem includes:

• An ndarray module with functionality almost identical to NumPy.
• A Pandas analog for data analysis. Call it Polars!
• Statrs library for statistical computing.
• Tangram library for machine learning and prediction.
• Linfa, Autograd, and SmartCore, which are suspiciously similar to PyTorch and TensorFlow.

The list isn’t complete, but it would make sense to write a separate article to continue it. Let us know if you would like to see something like that!

Python – 3, Rust – 1.

Security

Unlike its opponent, Rust does much more for security.

For instance, it cannot accidentally access the wrong address in memory and cause an error. If software must always run stable, then the answer of which of these two languages to choose is pretty obvious.

Python – 3, Rust – 2.

Performance

Because Rust is a language with a competitive execution model, multiple operations can run in parallel. That is, without the need for locking or synchronization.

This allows Rust to achieve higher performance than Python.

Especially when it comes to working with arrays of data.

Well, yeah, Python can still offer great multithreading and parallelism, but you have to dig in and it doesn’t always work.

GIL is to blame.

Rust has it better here – thanks to Rayon library, which makes it easy to convert sequential computations into parallel computations. This ensures that there are no data race conditions, which ensures parallelism.

Rust vs Python performance is a perennial battle. But today we will cast our vote in favor of the first candidate.

Python – 3, Rust – 3.

Community

You can find plenty of tutorials on how to code in both of these languages. And you can do it with ease. To be fair, we have to admit that snake lovers have more community, but their rivals, corrosion fans, are not far behind either!

Let’s give each competitor a point.

Python – 4, Rust – 4.

Conclusion

The choice between Python and Rust depends on several factors. Like if you have to work with large amounts of data, Rust is the preferred choice. After all, Rayon thing is very good.

But if you are a novice developer, or just have a weakness for the widest ecosystem of tools and libraries, then Python will suit you.

And yes, if your goal is to prototype something quickly, Python is also a decent choice.