Discord plans to replace Electron in its desktop app with a client written entirely in Rust, a programming language designed for performance and memory safety. Electron lets developers build desktop software with web technologies, but its apps can consume substantial system resources. Discord’s chief technology officer says the company has used Rust in its infrastructure, voice technology, and parts of its existing client since 2018; moving the whole client to Rust has been a long-term goal.
A preview image showed the Windows app using 290MB of RAM, compared with usage that can reach 1GB or more in the current app, even for users in only a few servers. The mobile apps will retain native interfaces, while sharing application code with desktop through Rust, replacing React Native as well as Electron. Discord has not announced when the migration will be complete, but plans to begin testing the new client with users soon. The change promises a less memory-intensive app, though its actual performance and availability remain to be seen in user testing.
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