How does Rust compare to C++ in terms of performance and safety

Rust and C++ are both high-performance systems programming languages, but they differ significantly in their approach to performance and safety.

Performance

• Similarity in Performance: Both Rust and C++ are highly efficient and often show similar performance in benchmarks. C++ sometimes has an edge due to its maturity and specific optimizations, but Rust's zero-cost abstractions allow it to maintain comparable performance without sacrificing safety.

• Benchmark Variability: In some benchmarks, Rust outperforms C++, while in others, C++ is faster. For example, Rust has been faster in tasks like reverse-complement and binary-trees, but slower in n-body simulations.

• Compile Time: Rust generally has slower compile times due to its more complex safety checks, whereas C++ compilation can be faster but may require additional safety features.

Safety