Why Rust Could Revolutionize Linux Kernel Development – Insights from RustConf

During RustConf in Montreal, Miguel Ojeda, the lead maintainer of the Rust for Linux project, described the resignation of fellow maintainer Wedson Almeida Filho as "the darkest moment before dawn" for the initiative.

The Rust for Linux project aims to make Rust the second major programming language for the Linux kernel, alongside C.

Initial support for Rust was merged into Linux 6.1 in October 2022, but development still faces significant obstacles.

Linux‑specific Rust currently relies on unstable language features, which many consider undesirable; numerous such features are tracked on GitHub across the language, standard library, and compiler.

https://github.com/Rust-for-Linux/linux/issues/2

Nicholas Matsakis, co‑lead of the Rust language design team, reiterated at RustConf that Rust for Linux is a flagship project for the Rust community.

He warned that a stable Rust toolchain for the kernel will still require more than six months of work, despite many contributors being actively involved.

Matsakis explained that the reliance on unstable Rust is problematic because the primary audience—developers accustomed to writing kernel code in C—may be reluctant to adopt a "dark" version of Rust they are unfamiliar with.

Rust for Linux targets the most demanding low‑level environments, not just unsafe Rust.

He emphasized that the project is about building safe abstractions and enabling developers to accomplish most tasks with safe Rust.

Ojeda described a design where unsafe code resides in a module called Kernel Crate , which provides a safe Rust API while handling the unsafe parts internally.

The project’s goal is to make kernel programming safer and to attract a new wave of Rust contributors to the Linux kernel.

Nevertheless, hesitation remains: many existing C programmers are reluctant to adopt Rust as a second language, fearing added complexity and a steep learning curve.

The resignation of maintainer Filho was driven by these concerns.

Ojeda also noted that major industry players such as Google, Microsoft, and AWS are interested in the success of Rust within the kernel.

"So let’s implement it," Ojeda concluded, urging continued progress.