Have you ever spent days trying to debug a memory-related bug and wished you had a better option? I have memory-safe programming languages, like Go and Rust, are just the answer! Memory-safe programming languages not only make programming easier, but can also save you from security bugs related to managing memory in a faulty manner.
Have you ever made a memory mismanagement error and spent weeks fixing it? I have, and I definitely wouldn't like spend time that way!
Memory-safe programming languages solve the memory issue, but they approach this differently:
• Rust "forces" you to follow "rules" for how to manage memory which could mean you will not be able to access memory you shouldn't be able to access 98% of the time.
• Go goes a different route where it uses a garbage collector which abstracts out memory management for you and lets you focus on just writing code.
Key Styles of Rust
• Ownership & Borrowing: Helps prevent double frees and dangling pointers.
• No Null Pointers: Forces you to handle optional values safely.
• Fast: Safety does not mean slow performance.
It is nice knowing that your code will not unexpectedly crash, or will give the hacker an easy way in. Rust provides that.
Here are some reasons I like Go:
• Automatic Memory Management: You never have to free memory manually
• Easy Concurrency: Go routines are both safe and lightweight
• Great for Web Apps: You can have less related memory issues on servers or cloud apps
Go is easy and friendly. The user (you) can write programs that are safe, without fighting with the compiler.
Why is Memory Safety Important?
Memory bugs have some of the most insidious consequences in software. A buffer overflow, use-after-free bug, and broken pointer all introduce the opportunity for the attacker to gain access to your environment. Older programming languages like C or C++ offer power and flexibility, but do encourage developers to make risky errors.Have you ever made a memory mismanagement error and spent weeks fixing it? I have, and I definitely wouldn't like spend time that way!
Memory-safe programming languages solve the memory issue, but they approach this differently:
• Rust "forces" you to follow "rules" for how to manage memory which could mean you will not be able to access memory you shouldn't be able to access 98% of the time.
• Go goes a different route where it uses a garbage collector which abstracts out memory management for you and lets you focus on just writing code.
Rust: Speed With Strong Safety
I like Rust because it is a safe way to do something unsafe. The borrow checker prevents you from mutating memory incorrectly.Key Styles of Rust
• Ownership & Borrowing: Helps prevent double frees and dangling pointers.
• No Null Pointers: Forces you to handle optional values safely.
• Fast: Safety does not mean slow performance.
It is nice knowing that your code will not unexpectedly crash, or will give the hacker an easy way in. Rust provides that.
Go: A Simple Language With Safety
Learning and writing Go is extremely simple, and the authors' team promises strong safety guarantees while essentially handling memory management at the same time, resulting in fewer mistakes regarding memory.Here are some reasons I like Go:
• Automatic Memory Management: You never have to free memory manually
• Easy Concurrency: Go routines are both safe and lightweight
• Great for Web Apps: You can have less related memory issues on servers or cloud apps
Go is easy and friendly. The user (you) can write programs that are safe, without fighting with the compiler.
