Zig vs Rust: Who’s Closer to the Metal?

Description

🎥 Description Zig and Rust aim at the same problems from different angles: control vs. guarantees. In this video I compare how they actually feel to write and ship with—memory models, error handling, build systems, cross-compilation, tooling, and what the ecosystems look like in 2025. No hype and no “replacing C” claims—just where each language shines and where it fights you. We’ll touch on allocators, safety vs. simplicity, C interop, performance trade-offs, compile times, and real project fit: embedded, kernels/drivers, game/engine work, backend services, and CLI tools. I also show how I’d structure a small project in each and what the day-to-day developer loop looks like. If you’ve used one and are curious about the other, this should save you time (and a few headaches). Like and subscribe for more head-to-head systems language breakdowns. ☕ Support the channel → https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thetechyshop ⚠️ Disclosure As an Amazon Associate and InVideo AI, I earn from qualifying purchases through the links below (at no extra cost to you). 🎬 Created with InVideo AI → https://invideo.sjv.io/c/6567353/883681/12258 🧰 Gear & Tools I Use 👉 Logitech MX Keys S Wireless Keyboard: https://amzn.to/478h4wD 👉 Logitech MX Master 3S Mouse: https://amzn.to/4fXZ4nH 📘 Learn More The Rust Programming Language (The Book) – https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ Rustonomicon – https://doc.rust-lang.org/nomicon/ Rust Reference – https://doc.rust-lang.org/reference/ Cargo Book – https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/ Unsafe Code Guidelines (Rust) – https://rust-lang.github.io/unsafe-code-guidelines/ Rust FFI Omnibus – https://jakegoulding.com/rust-ffi-omnibus/ Zig Language Reference – https://ziglang.org/documentation/master/ Zig Standard Library – https://ziglang.org/documentation/master/std/ Zig Build System – https://ziglang.org/learn/build-system/ Zig Cross Compilation – https://ziglang.org/learn/overview/#cross-compiling zig translate-c – https://ziglang.org/learn/overview/#translate-c bindgen (Rust) – https://github.com/rust-lang/rust-bindgen cbindgen – https://github.com/eqrion/cbindgen Criterion.rs (Rust benchmarking) – https://github.com/bheisler/criterion.rs perf + FlameGraphs – https://www.brendangregg.com/flamegraphs.html #rust #zig #programming #lowlevel #memorysafety #comptime #borrowchecker #cinterop #embedded #backend #clitools #performance #benchmark #devtools #opensource #programminglanguages #softwareengineering #buildsystems