Why Rust Is Becoming the Next Language for Linux Kernel Development

Rust, created in 2015, is a modern system programming language that has recently become one of the most popular languages among developers, winning the title of the most loved language for three consecutive years.

Today, Rust has risen to the first‑tier of programming languages, on par with C++ and C#.

Historically, the idea of using a language other than C in the Linux kernel was mocked, but the situation has changed: the upcoming patch series will add Rust as a second language to the kernel, bringing it closer to core development than ever before.

Kernel‑level Rust code now relies on a stable Rust compiler rather than a beta version; the kernel currently uses Rust 1.57.0, and each new stable release will be synchronized with Linux.

Linux Rust lead Miguel Ojeda notes that upgrading the compiler has already allowed the removal of several unstable features, making Rust on Linux more stable. He adds that the team will continue upgrading until no unstable features remain, after which they plan to announce a minimum Rust version and support for tools such as GCC and Clang.

Veteran kernel developer Greg Kroah‑Hartman points out that drivers are likely the first place Rust will appear in Linux, as they sit at the leaf nodes of the kernel’s dependency tree.

At the 2020 Linux Plumbers Conference, top kernel developers discussed the future of Linux and introduced the concept of Rust as a second language for the kernel.

Linus Torvalds clarified that Linux will not be rewritten in Rust, as that is not the team’s goal, and the 25 million lines of C code will remain.

Rust language lead Josh Triplett and Google engineer Nick Desaulniers strongly advocate using system‑level Rust in the kernel because of its superior memory‑safety compared to C.

Microsoft cloud development expert Ryan Levick praised Rust’s complete memory safety, noting that about two‑thirds of security issues stem from improper memory handling, and that Rust can prevent these without adding runtime overhead.

Torvalds also sees Rust’s advantages and encourages a slow, stable adoption, especially for driver interfaces and non‑core kernel components, believing that multiple programming models will eventually coexist.

Ojeda added that the project is not yet finished, but once senior maintainers accept the changes, the code is ready to be merged into the mainline.

The team hopes to see the first Rust code in the Linux kernel sometime in 2022.