A few months ago, I wrote about why a frontend developer working mainly with Vue and TypeScript decided to explore Rust.
It started with curiosity.
I kept seeing Rust behind tools I already used or admired: ripgrep, Zed, Biome, Alacritty, Tauri, Ratatui, and many others.
Tauri became the bridge for me. I could continue building interfaces with familiar web technologies while using Rust for the system-level parts of the application.
From there, I started experimenting with:
🦀 CLI tools
🖥️ Terminal user interfaces with Ratatui
⚙️ Developer tooling
📦 Standalone compiled applications
🪟 Desktop applications with Tauri
The hardest part was not the syntax. It was learning to think differently about ownership, borrowing, data movement, and compile-time guarantees.
Rust did not replace Vue or TypeScript for me. Instead, it opened a new category of problems I could understand and solve.
Since writing the article, I have continued building with Rust and Tauri, and the journey has only become more interesting.
For other frontend developers: have you ever explored Rust or another systems language? What made you start?
DevTo: <a href="https://dev.to/lazydoomslayer/from-vue-to-rust-why-a-frontend-developer-started-writing-systems-tools-2204" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">https://dev.to/lazydoomslayer/from-vue-to-rust-why-a-frontend-developer-started-writing-systems-tools-2204</a>
Medium: <a href="https://medium.com/@lazydoomslayer/from-vue-to-rust-why-a-frontend-developer-started-writing-systems-tools-42ebc97538a3" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">https://medium.com/@lazydoomslayer/from-vue-to-rust-why-a-frontend-developer-started-writing-systems-tools-42ebc97538a3</a>
#rust #vuejs #typescript #tauri #webdev #ratatui

Luka Jioshvili

A frontend developer who primarily works with Vue and TypeScript shares their journey into Rust and systems programming. The transition was motivated by noticing Rust behind popular tools like ripgrep, Zed, Biome, and Alacritty. Tauri served as the entry point, allowing continued use of web technologies for UI while leveraging Rust for system-level logic. The author experimented with CLI tools, terminal UIs using Ratatui, developer tooling, and desktop apps. The biggest challenge was not syntax but internalizing Rust's ownership and borrowing model.

From Frontend Development to Rust and Systems Tools

As a React.js and Next.js developer, I started working on WordPress sites, and a nagging feeling told me it was time to learn a backend programming language and start a path toward becoming a full-stack developer.

First, nice lazyvim at the works. I also dabbled in Rust but I went for ECS with <a href="https://aibodh.com/books/the-impatient-programmers-guide-to-bevy-and-rust/#chapters" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">https://aibodh.com/books/the-impatient-programmers-guide-to-bevy-and-rust/#chapters</a> which is also very rewarding.