Why I Choose Rust to Build a Full-Stack Admin System


I’m originally a front-end developer, mainly working with React and TypeScript.
Over time, I’ve also explored Node.js, Next.js, and Bun for building admin dashboards.
Recently, I started building a Rust-based full-stack project called rustzen-admin.

This post shares my personal journey as a front-end dev trying Rust for the first time — from using Tauri to building a backend API with Axum, and eventually a complete admin system.


🧠 How It Started: From Vite to Tauri

My Rust journey started passively.

When I had to build a small PC tool, Electron felt too heavy. So I gave Tauri a try.
The frontend setup was familiar, but once I saw the backend Rust code — I was completely lost.


🤖 Learning by Doing (with AI)

I didn’t sit down and study Rust from scratch.

✅ I initialized a Tauri project → got stuck → asked ChatGPT → tweaked code → got stuck again → repeated until it worked.

Initially I just handled some local file storage.
Then I decided to persist data with SQLite, introduced sqlx, explored async functions, error handling, and eventually modularized the project.

Rust’s ownership, type system, and syntax were tough at first.
But with real use cases and help from AI, I started to understand the logic and write more idiomatic code.


🛠️ Why Not Java / Node / Bun?

Before diving into Rust, I took time to evaluate some common backend choices:

Tech StackProsCons
JavaStable, mature, widely used in companiesVerbose, slower startup, heavyweight setup
Node.jsHuge ecosystem, easy to learn, fast to buildWeak typing, limited performance, heavy runtime
BunFast startup, lightweight toolchainSmall community, early-stage ecosystem
Rust💪 Native performance, safe, easy to deploySteeper learning curve

I don’t work on massive enterprise systems. I just wanted a backend that is reliable, lightweight, and easy to maintain.

That’s why I chose Rust: build once, ship a binary, no runtime, no Docker, no surprises.


🏗️ rustzen-admin: A Full-Stack Template in Rust + React

To organize my learnings, I started building rustzen-admin,
a clean full-stack admin system powered by Rust and React — ideal for private deployment, lightweight dashboards, or internal tools.

Tech Stack Overview:


✅ What’s Done So Far

Here’s what I’ve implemented so far:

The project was built completely by myself, learning as I go — using AI and community docs whenever I got stuck.


✨ Why I’ll Continue Using Rust

Rust isn’t the easiest language to learn, but the trade-offs are worth it.

What I love most about Rust:

As a solo developer, these qualities let me build faster, deploy with ease, and focus more on product logic — not devops or runtime debugging.


📚 Resources


🧭 Final Thoughts

I’m not a backend engineer. I’m not a systems programmer.
I’m just a front-end developer trying to build a clean, reliable admin system.

Rust didn’t make things faster at first — it made me think. But in return, it gave me confidence, clarity, and performance.

This post isn’t about being an expert — it’s about what it’s like to start Rust as a real beginner.

If you’re a front-end dev curious about Rust, start small.
Try Tauri. Build a CLI. Wrap a simple API. And maybe, like me, you’ll stay.


📫 Follow along — I’ll be sharing more about Rust + React full-stack development in future posts.