Rust for TypeScript Developers

July 26, 2025

#rust #typescript #systems programming

If you’re a frontend dev exploring Rust, you’ll love its emphasis on type safety, performance, and tooling.

🤝 Similarities

Strong static typing
Good tooling (e.g. Cargo = npm)
Expressive enums and pattern matching

🚧 Differences

Ownership model
No garbage collection
Compilation times (slower, but worth it)

✨ Hello World in Rust

fn main() {
    println!("Hello, TypeScript dev!");
}

📦 Project Setup

cargo new hello-rust
cd hello-rust
cargo run

🧠 Borrowing vs. Ownership

fn greet(name: &str) {
    println!("Hello, {}", name);
}

You pass by reference using &str, not by value. Memory safety is enforced at compile time.

🧪 Enums vs. Discriminated Unions

Rust:

enum Role {
    Admin,
    User,
    Guest,
}

TypeScript:

type Role = "Admin" | "User" | "Guest";

📚 Error Handling

Rust uses Result<T, E> instead of exceptions:

fn divide(a: f64, b: f64) -> Result<f64, String> {
    if b == 0.0 {
        Err("Cannot divide by zero".into())
    } else {
        Ok(a / b)
    }
}

📌 Conclusion

Rust has a steep learning curve, but pays off long-term.

If TypeScript is your safety net, Rust is your force field.