I built zigxd, an implementation of the classic xxd utility, to learn Zig. For those unfamiliar, xxd is a command-line tool that creates hexadecimal dumps of files or standard input, making it invaluable for viewing binary files, debugging, and reverse engineering.

My thoughts on Zig vs Rust

I mostly use Rust, so thought I’d give Zig a try. While Rust’s borrow checker is a powerful tool for preventing memory safety issues, there are situations where its strict rules can become more hindrance than help. Zig shines in scenarios where you need to:

  • Perform low-level memory manipulations
  • Interface directly with hardware
  • Write performance-critical code where you need precise control over memory layout
  • Implement complex pointer-based data structures

In these cases, Zig’s straightforward approach to memory management and lack of runtime overhead makes it an attractive alternative. You get much of the safety through compile-time checks and explicit error handling, without the cognitive overhead of fighting with a borrow checker.