Comparing Rust vs. Zig: Performance, safety, and more

Rust and Zig are two programming languages that emphasize efficient and performant code but adopt different philosophies and mechanisms for memory management. Rust prioritizes memory safety through its borrow checker and ownership model, ensuring that developers write memory-safe code with a steep learning curve. It excels in systems programming, offers robust cross-platform compatibility, and has a strong ecosystem supported by its package manager, Cargo. Conversely, Zig provides manual memory management, offering more control but with a higher risk of errors if not managed properly. It features fast compile times, cross-compilation capabilities, and a straightforward syntax, making it suitable for systems programming and embedded systems. While Rust boasts a larger ecosystem and popularity, as evidenced by its standing in Stack Overflow surveys, Zig is a newer entrant with growing interest and the highest reported salary in recent surveys. Both languages prioritize performance optimization and have active open-source communities, with Rust being more established and Zig still developing its ecosystem and resources.