It’s easy to get caught up in the buzz around a programming language, and Rust has certainly generated its fair share of excitement. But beyond the theoretical advantages and passionate community discussions, where is Rust actually making a difference? I’ve been digging into how companies and organizations are putting Rust to work in their day-to-day operations, and the picture that emerges is quite compelling.
What strikes me immediately is the sheer diversity of applications. We’re not just talking about niche projects here. Companies like PingCAP are building robust distributed key-value stores using Rust and Raft, tackling complex systems-level challenges. CurrySoftware GmbH has built their entire multi-tenant on-site search solution, CurrySearch, from the ground up in Rust, highlighting its suitability for performance-critical applications. And Chef, a name familiar in infrastructure management, leverages Rust for developing, deploying, and managing infrastructure, runtime environments, and applications.
It’s fascinating to see Rust powering machine learning initiatives too. Autumn is using it for ML, and Omnijar Studio is achieving performant and efficient code across various cloud services, from ML to data services. This suggests Rust is moving beyond its systems programming roots into more data-intensive fields.
Security and reliability are recurring themes. 49nord develops safe and secure Industrial IoT hardware and applications with Rust, a testament to its memory safety guarantees. Threema integrates Rust into their iOS app and backend services, demonstrating its versatility. PolySync is building safety-critical runtime environments and infrastructure for autonomous vehicles, a domain where even the slightest error can have severe consequences. Similarly, SmartThings uses Rust for memory-safe embedded applications on their SmartThings Hub and supporting cloud services.
Even in unexpected places, Rust is proving its worth. Schauspiel Dortmund uses a Rust-based MIDI-to-OSC converter to power music and lighting systems in an opera play. Coursera employs Rust for programming assignments within secured Docker containers, ensuring a safe execution environment. Fortanix is using Rust to move security features into applications with Runtime Encryption using Intel SGX, a sophisticated security measure.
What’s particularly interesting is how Rust is enabling companies to push boundaries with resource-constrained environments. Superscale Networks runs rust-mips on tens of thousands of Linux routers with very limited RAM, stating Rust is the only modern language capable of meeting such low runtime constraints. This opens up possibilities for embedded systems and IoT devices where efficiency is paramount.
From financial services like Aprila Bank orchestrating business process flows to ANIXE building the next generation of travel services trading platforms, Rust is proving its mettle. IamBot uses Rust for high-performance data acquisition and API endpoints, while 3D Hubs relies on it for performance-critical heavy lifting in their 3D model processing backend. Postlight uses Rust for generating logos from favicons in their Mercury AMP Converter, a clever application of its processing power.
Canonical is using Rust for everything from server monitoring to middleware, showcasing its broad applicability. Beget utilizes Rust for backup, resource management systems, and DDoS mitigation. ThreatX’s Web Application Firewall and central analysis engine are written in Rust, enabling real-time analysis of high-bandwidth web applications. Cultivate Software found Rust to be an effective bridge between a VSCode extension and IoT devices.
Even established players are finding value. Braintree uses Rust for speeding up batch processing and for small command-line utilities. Kentik’s advanced network analytics platform relies on many Rust components. OVH built a high-performance, highly available log management system with Rust. And MaidSafe is building a decentralized data and communications network, a massive undertaking where Rust’s safety and performance are likely critical.
The list goes on: Ather Energy for reliable scooter data transmission, Honeypot for their search engine, Iqlusion for infrastructure/devops tools and cryptographic key management, Yomura Fiber for GPON provisioning, WINK Streaming for low-latency encoding, CoreOS for tools within their Container Linux distribution, Tessel for supporting Rust applications, BePark for remotely opening parking gates, Tula Technology for automotive code verification, Baidu X-Lab for an SGX SDK, Algorithmia for first-class algorithm development, Postmates for system daemons, and Wildfish for fast cryptocurrency market data processing. It’s clear Rust isn’t just a language for hobbyists; it’s a powerful tool being adopted by a wide array of industries for critical, real-world applications.
