From Python π to Rust π¦ β 6 weeks, Zero-to-One, building a JSON parser from scratch in Rust π¦
Last November, I came across
@pybites hosting a beginner Rust cohort. Having followed
@bbelderbos for a while here on X, I was quick to sign up. I had the privilege of being part of this cohort, coached by
@jhodapp.
π« Over 6 weeks, we built a complete JSON parser from scratch β tokenizer, recursive descent parser, error handling, PyO3 Python bindings, and performance optimization.
πβIt taught me to think like a library developer β every public interface is a promise, every allocation matters, and your users are developers who will push your edge cases harder than any end user ever would. A fundamentally different mindset from being an application developer.
π The result? Only 0.8x slower than CPython's battle-hardened C extension. 10β12x faster than simplejson. Zero dependencies. Zero unsafe.
π Check it out on my Github:
lnkd.in/gzm4icJw
π«‘ Jim Hodapp's detailed PR reviews every week and the hands-on approach made Rust click in a way tutorials never could.
β‘ If you're curious about Python or Rust, check out
@pybites β highly recommend it.
Benchmarks:
1. π₯ 12β14x faster than simplejson. Every time. No exceptions.
2. ποΈ Within 80% of CPython's C extension β a C codebase with 15 years of hand-tuned optimization. Not bad for a from-scratch π¦ parser with zero `unsafe`.
3. π 2x faster than C on small inputs where π¦'s zero-overhead abstractions shine before FFI costs kick in.
ALT Benchmark: Rust vs CPython's C vs simplejson