Getting Started with Rust (Part 3): Memory Management Basics

Many of the programming languages used in AI, such as Python, Julia, and Java, rely on garbage collectors to manage memory. Rust, on the other hand, does not have a garbage collector.

Instead, it uses a unique ownership model with strict compile-time checks, ensuring memory safety and efficient resource management without the overhead of a garbage collector. This makes Rust faster and more predictable in performance, crucial for high-stakes applications like AI and system programming.

Rust’s approach prevents common issues such as memory leaks and data races, offering a powerful combination of speed and reliability that sets it apart from traditional garbage-collected languages.

In this article, I will introduce the basics of memory management in RUST with code examples.

Let’s get started!

Ownership System

Rust uses a unique system of ownership with rules that the compiler checks at compile time. This system eliminates *data races and ensures memory safety.

*data race is a condition that occurs in concurrent programming when two or more threads simultaneously access shared data, and at least one of the accesses is a write. This can lead to unpredictable behaviour, as the threads…