Should I Learn Rust If I Already Know C#?
As a C# developer, you already have a powerful language. Here's when Rust makes sense, when it doesn't, and what the transition actually feels like.
I saw this question on Reddit yesterday and it hit me right in the feels.
"I have been doing some side projects and have been using C# a lot. I like it because I can develop fairly quickly with it and I don't have to worry about the program being slow like how it is with Python. I'm wondering if Rust is faster to develop in..."
Oh buddy. Let me stop you right there.
If you think Rust is going to be faster to develop in than C#, you're in for a surprise. And not the birthday party kind.
The Rust Reality Check
Here's what nobody tells you about Rust: it's like switching from C#'s helpful IntelliSense and friendly compiler errors to a compiler that questions every single memory decision you make.
You know how in C#, you can just new up an object and the garbage collector handles the rest? Yeah, Rust doesn't play that game.
I spent a week porting a simple C# console app to Rust. Want to know what I discovered? My comfortable C# patterns - dependency injection, interfaces, LINQ chains - all needed complete rethinking. What took me an afternoon in C# took me three days in Rust.
But here's the thing - the Rust version? It used 8MB of memory instead of the 120MB my .NET app consumed. It started instantly instead of the 200ms cold start. And it literally couldn't have null reference exceptions.
Was it worth the extra time? For that project, absolutely not. For other projects? That depends on what you're building.
C# vs Rust: The Development Speed Truth
Let's talk about what you actually care about - getting stuff done.
C# Development Speed:
// Want to read a file? Easy.
var content = File.ReadAllText("data.txt");
var lines = content.Split('\n');
// Done. Move on with your life.Rust Development Speed:
// Want to read a file? Buckle up.
use std::fs;
use std::io::Result;
fn read_file() -> Result<String> {
let content = fs::read_to_string("data.txt")?;
Ok(content)
}
// But wait, you need to handle the Result...
// And what about error propagation...
// And lifetime annotations if you're passing it around...See the difference? C# assumes you're an adult who can handle scissors. Rust assumes you're going to run with them.
When Rust Actually Makes Sense
Now, before the Rust evangelists come for me in the comments, let me be clear: Rust is incredible. But it's incredible for specific things.
You should consider Rust when:
- You're building system-level software (operating systems, drivers, embedded systems)
- Memory usage is critical (embedded devices, serverless functions with memory limits)
- You need guaranteed memory safety without garbage collection pauses
- You're working on performance-critical code where every microsecond counts
- You want to understand what your garbage collector has been hiding from you
You should stick with C# when:
- You need to ship features quickly (and you usually do)
- You're building web APIs with ASP.NET Core, WPF/MAUI apps, or enterprise software
- Your team already knows C# and its ecosystem
- You value Entity Framework over writing raw SQL
- The difference between 150MB and 10MB of RAM doesn't affect your AWS bill
The Question Nobody Asks But Should
"Is Rust faster to develop in?"
Wrong question. Here's the right one:
"Will learning Rust make me a better programmer?"
Yes. Absolutely. 100%.
Even if you never ship a line of Rust to production, learning it will change how you think about memory, ownership, and concurrent programming. I write better C# code now because I learned Rust. I understand why IDisposable exists. I appreciate what the garbage collector is doing for me. I finally get why Span<T> and Memory<T> were added to .NET.
But faster to develop in? For someone coming from C#? Not a chance.
My Honest Advice
Since you're doing side projects and you like C# because it's fast to develop in, here's what I'd do:
Keep using C# for your main projects. It's fantastic. With .NET 8, minimal APIs, and Native AOT, you can build incredibly fast applications. NuGet has everything you need, Visual Studio/Rider tooling is unmatched, and you can actually ship to production on Friday afternoon.
Learn Rust on the side. Pick one small project. Maybe rewrite one of your C# console apps in Rust. Not because it needs to be in Rust, but because the learning experience is valuable. Give yourself a month. Expect to miss LINQ. Expect to fight the borrow checker. Expect to Google "cannot move out of borrowed content" at least twenty times.
The Performance Thing
Since performance seems important to you (you mentioned Python being slow), here's the deal:
Modern C# is fast. Really fast. With Native AOT in .NET 8, you can get startup times under 10ms and memory usage under 50MB. Your ASP.NET Core APIs can handle thousands of requests per second. The difference between a 5ms response time and a 2ms response time? Your users won't notice. The difference between shipping in two weeks vs two months? Everyone notices.
I ran benchmarks on a data processing tool I built in both languages:
- C# version: 45ms to process 100,000 records
- Rust version: 28ms to process 100,000 records
You know what took longer? The three days I spent getting the Rust version to compile correctly.
So, Should You Learn Rust?
If you're asking because everyone's talking about it and you have FOMO - skip it for now. Focus on getting better at C#. Master async/await and ValueTask. Learn about Span
If you're asking because you genuinely want to understand systems programming, memory management, and what "zero-cost abstractions" really means - absolutely learn Rust. But go in with the right expectations.
Rust isn't faster to develop in. It's harder to develop in. On purpose. Because it's solving different problems than C#.
It's like asking if a Formula 1 car is better than a Toyota Camry. For winning races? Yes. For getting groceries? You tell me.
Still thinking about learning Rust? Start with the Rust Book (it's free online) and give yourself permission to be confused. That's normal. We all went through it. And yes, you will eventually understand lifetimes. It just takes time. Way more time than you think.
Finding the right learning path for Rust (or any language) can be overwhelming with thousands of resources out there. If you're searching for quality Rust materials, try Skillcraft.ai - it helps you find the best learning resources based on what you actually want to build, not just what's popular.