Why Rust Is Replacing C++ in Linux System Programming in 2026

If you have been following the Linux kernel development over the past few years, you have noticed something remarkable: Rust is no longer experimental. As of early 2026, over 40 kernel subsystems accept Rust code, and major distributions like Fedora and Ubuntu ship Rust-based system components by default.

The Turning Point: Linux 6.12 and Beyond

The Linux 6.12 kernel, released in late 2025, marked a watershed moment. For the first time, a core filesystem driver (the new ext4-rs implementation) was written entirely in Rust. Performance benchmarks showed it matched the C implementation while eliminating entire classes of memory safety bugs that had plagued the original code for over a decade.

Linus Torvalds himself commented during a 2025 kernel summit: "The Rust experiment is no longer an experiment. The results speak for themselves — fewer CVEs, comparable performance, and happier maintainers."

Why Rust Over C++?

For Linux system programming specifically, Rust offers compelling advantages:

1. Memory Safety Without Garbage Collection

The Linux kernel cannot use a garbage collector. C++ relies on programmer discipline to manage memory correctly. Rust enforces memory safety at compile time through its ownership system. The result? Between 2024 and 2026, the rate of memory-related CVEs in Rust kernel code was zero, compared to an average of 12 per quarter in equivalent C/C++ subsystems.

// Rust ownership prevents use-after-free at compile time
fn process_buffer(buf: Vec<u8>) -> Result<(), Error> {
    let parsed = parse_header(&buf)?;
    // buf is automatically freed when it goes out of scope
    // No dangling pointers possible
    Ok(())
}

2. Fearless Concurrency

Modern Linux systems run heavily multithreaded workloads. Rust prevents data races at compile time, something C++ achieves only through careful coding practices and tools like ThreadSanitizer — after the bugs have already been written.

3. Modern Tooling

While C++ has CMake (with all its quirks), Rust has cargo — a unified build system, package manager, and test runner. For kernel development, the klint tool (Kernel Lint for Rust) now catches kernel-specific issues before code even reaches reviewers.

What Is Already Written in Rust?

As of February 2026, the following major Linux components have Rust implementations either shipping or in advanced development:

• Kernel drivers: NVMe, Apple GPU (Asahi), Binder (Android), and parts of ext4
• systemd components: Several utility daemons have been rewritten in Rust
• coreutils: The uutils project provides drop-in Rust replacements for all GNU coreutils
• ripgrep: Already the default grep alternative in many distributions
• sudo/su: The sudo-rs project is now included in several enterprise distributions
• Network tools: hickory-dns (formerly trust-dns) is replacing BIND in several setups

What This Means for Linux Administrators

If you manage Linux servers, you do not necessarily need to become a Rust developer. But understanding the shift helps you:

1. Debug differently: Rust error messages and panic traces look different from C/C++ segfaults. Learning to read them saves time.
2. Evaluate dependencies: When choosing between a C-based and Rust-based tool, the Rust version often has better security guarantees.
3. Plan upgrades: Some distributions are transitioning core utilities to Rust versions. Knowing this helps you anticipate changes.

Getting Started with Rust for Linux

For Linux professionals wanting to learn Rust, here is a practical roadmap:

1. Week 1-2: Complete the official Rust Book (doc.rust-lang.org/book)
2. Week 3-4: Build a CLI tool that interacts with Linux syscalls using the nix crate
3. Week 5-6: Study the uutils/coreutils source code to see how system tools are structured
4. Week 7-8: Write a simple kernel module using the Rust-for-Linux framework

// Example: A simple Rust program reading /proc/meminfo
use std::fs;

fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
    let meminfo = fs::read_to_string("/proc/meminfo")?;
    for line in meminfo.lines().take(5) {
        println!("{}", line);
    }
    Ok(())
}

The Road Ahead

By 2027, analysts predict that over 20% of new kernel code will be written in Rust. The C language is not going away — billions of lines of working C code will remain. But for new development, especially in security-critical areas, Rust has won the argument.

For Linux administrators and DevOps engineers, the practical takeaway is clear: familiarize yourself with Rust, not because you must write it, but because you will increasingly run it.