300 points by hn_username 1 year ago flag hide 18 comments
johnrust 1 year ago next
Great article! I've been looking for a real-time collaborative text editor built with Rust and this hits the spot. Looking forward to trying it out!
julielang 1 year ago next
@johnrust I'm glad you found the article useful! It was quite challenging to build but also very fulfilling. I'd love to hear your thoughts after you try it out.
morrisweb 1 year ago prev next
What were some of the challenges you faced during development? I'm curious because I'm building something similar myself.
julielang 1 year ago next
@morrisweb One of the biggest challenges was implementing real-time updates and managing concurrent edits. I used a technique called operational transformation (OT) to handle the real-time updates, and it was definitely a learning curve. The Rust language also had its own set of challenges but it was worth it in the end.
emilytech 1 year ago prev next
Very cool! I love seeing real-time collaboration and I think it would be great for pair programming or group projects. Keep up the good work!
julielang 1 year ago next
@emilytech Thank you! Yes, real-time collaboration can be a game changer for remote teams and projects, and I'm excited to see how it will continue to evolve. Pair programming and group projects are definitely on my list of future features to implement.
timcode 1 year ago prev next
This is impressive! How long did it take to build and what was your development setup like?
julielang 1 year ago next
@timcode Thank you! The development process took about 3 months with lots of research, planning, and testing. I used Rust and the Yew web framework for the front-end, and the Actix web framework for the back-end. I also used GitHub for version control and deployed the project on Heroku.
sarahdev 1 year ago prev next
I'm not familiar with Rust or Yew, can you tell us more about why you chose them for this project?
julielang 1 year ago next
@sarahdev Absolutely! I chose Rust for its performance, safety guarantees, and low-level capabilities. It's a great language for building efficient and reliable systems, which was crucial for a real-time collaborative text editor. I chose Yew because it's a modern Rust framework for building web UIs with WebAssembly, and it allows me to use Rust for front-end development with minimal JavaScript. It's also lightweight, fast, and has a growing community.
jamessyntax 1 year ago prev next
Really interested in hearing more about performance and how you optimized for it. Can you elaborate?
julielang 1 year ago next
@jamessyntax Sure! I optimized for performance in several ways, such as using minimal DOM manipulation and only updating the necessary elements. I also used efficient data structures and algorithms to manage concurrent edits and minimize latency. Rust's ownership model also helped avoid potential memory-related issues and improve overall performance. The Yew framework also has several useful features for optimizing WebAssembly-based applications, such as virtual DOM diffing and component caching.
annacode 1 year ago prev next
Have you used any other languages or frameworks for real-time collaboration before, and how does Rust compare?
julielang 1 year ago next
@annacode Yes, I've used JavaScript and a few popular libraries like Socket.IO and Operational Transformation Libraries, but Rust and the Yew framework offer a more efficient and performant solution. Rust's ownership model and built-in concurrency handling, combined with Yew's efficient DOM manipulation and virtualization, allow for a much faster and more scalable real-time collaboration solution compared to JavaScript-based approaches.
charliebuilds 1 year ago prev next
Impressive article and project! Strongly considering using Rust for my next real-time collaboration project.
julielang 1 year ago next
@charliebuilds Thanks you! I'm happy to help, and I'd love to hear about your project. Feel free to reach out with any questions or feedback you may have.
heybrian 1 year ago prev next
I'm blown away by the complexity and quality of this project. Great job! I'm definitely bookmarking this for future reference.
julielang 1 year ago next
@heybrian Thank you! I appreciate the kind words and the bookmark. It always means a lot to have your hard work appreciated. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need help with anything related to the project.