Bob Belderbos

Join our friendly Python Developer Community for free: https://pybites.circle.so/ 🌐👋___Rust is everywhere - in your tools and in your stack - and has been ... Pybites Podcast 218: Why Python developers are learning Rust

New Pybites podcast is live -> Why #Python developers are learning #Rust

Check it out here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5u... and let me know if you're into Rust or planning to learn it this year ...

Sweet, goes to show how important tooling in Python is!

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I hope these docs will contribute to a more friction-free way to learn.
Check it out at Help → Docs.

Not on our platform yet? Start learning Python for free. 🐍 📈
pybitesplatform.com/via/bob

Have you ever abandoned a tool — not because it was bad, but because you couldn't figure out how it worked fast enough? 💡

Good docs don't just answer questions. They remove the moment of doubt that makes people walk away.

The best developer tools (Stripe, Vercel, Linear) treat docs as a first-class citizen and so should we from here on for all our products ... 📈

Not having (complete) docs earlier has been a miss!

And with AI, it's now easier to fix than ever.

Last week we added the whole suite to our @Pybites platform 👇

No more people abandoning the app because it's unclear how it works. 😱

Learn Rust with our 8 tracks + 60 exercises -> rustplatform.com/via/bob

Are you learning Rust or planning to do so this year?

Comment below -> why would you want to learn it? And already facing some challenges coming from Python?

This is one of the reasons I really like Rust. 🦀 😍

Yes, it's a steep learning curve.
Yes, it takes more effort to write the same amount of functionality.

But the strictness leads to more robust code.
And the current trend of faster tooling, is because of Rust.

#Rust on the other hand, makes this impossible: apart from being explicit about mutability, the compiler spots that there is a path in my code missing.

And its error messaging is superb:

But it is not enforced!

Of course Python devs see this and defensely put `result = ...` in the outer scope so this won't happen.

Ever had this in your #Python code?

def process(items):
for item in items:
if item > 0:
result = item * 2
return result

print(process([1, 2, 3])) # Works
print(process([])) # Raises UnboundLocalError

This pattern is increasingly used and to me it's really exciting: Rust is not replacing Python, the two are actually a great companion! 🐍 🦀

#Python #Rust #Performance #SoftwareEngineering

This is exactly what Polars does to offer a faster alternative to Pandas.

The route pydantic v2 took when pure Python validation became to slow.

What HuggingFace tokenizers does for NLP pipelines.

Libraries like PyO3 let you write Rust code that Python imports like any other module:

```python
import my_fast_lib # Rust under the hood
result = my_fast_lib.process(huge_dataset) # 2-5x faster
```

Same Python interface. Compiled-language performance.

Option 4 is more accessible than it sounds.

At this point you have a few options:

• Accept it (probably not for long)

• Rewrite in C (like programming with one hand tied behind your back)

• Add more hardware (expensive, not really a fix)

• Rewrite the slow part in Rust and call it from Python 😎

Python is great, but sometimes you need more performance.

A simplified example to show where Python might run out of road:

```python
# This looks fine. Runs 30 seconds on 500MB of data.
for row in huge_dataset:
result = process(row)
```

I'm building exercises that do exactly this — map Python patterns to Rust.

Free Python→Rust 10 intro exercises → rustplatform.com/via/bob

Feedback:
> "I like the Python to Rust mapping structure in the lessons. I found that really helpful."

Don't get me wrong, the learning curve is real!

However Python devs have a head start — you already think in types, you already care about elegance + clean code.

Which tip would've helped you most? Or any other ones?

#Python #Rust #LearnRust #PythonTips #SoftwareDevelopment

< Tip 3: Write Python first, then Rust-ify it >

When stuck, sketch the logic in Python. Then translate it step by step.

You already know how to think about the problem, which removes a lot of cognitive overload.

You just have to learn a new way to express it.

Stop fighting the compiler. Read its error messages — they're the best in any language. It's teaching you something.

< Tip 2: The compiler is your pair programmer >

Python tells you what broke at runtime (or dev if tooling is set up). Rust tells you what would break before you even run it (compile time).

• Error Handling: try/except -> Result<T, E> (errors must be handled)
• Logic & Data: class (inheritance) -> struct + impl (focus on composition, and data layout)
• Memory Management: GC -> Ownership & Borrowing (focus on who "owns" the data, enforced by the compiler)

< Tip 1: Map, don't translate >

Don't ask "how do I write Python feature x in Rust?" Ask "what problem does Python feature x solve — and how does Rust solve it?"

3 things I wish I knew before learning Rust as a Python developer.

Which Python tool surprised you most? Drop it below 👇 (and follow my Python→Rust mapping series this week)

And then put it in practice: free 10 intro exercises to get started → rustplatform.com/via/bob

I spent 10+ years teaching Python. Now I'm building Rust exercises specifically for Python devs — mapped to concepts you already know.