Should I choose Ada, SPARK, or Rust over C/C++?

Summary

At AdaCore, we’re in the business of supporting people who develop high-integrity software, in particular for embedded systems. In terms of programming languages, this means supporting the most commonly found candidates, which in 2024 include C/C++, Ada/SPARK, and Rust. If you’ve already made your decision, we will support you. However, in a number of situations, people ask us: “What should we do? What’s the best out there?”. While it’s difficult to give a one-size-fits-all answer, there are some strategic elements to consider.C/C++ - a risky default solutionIn the embedded domain, you’re more likely to look at C/C++ than anything else. This is the option “by default”. A large portion of your software is likely to already be in C/C++. Your staff is trained in this language, tools, and processes are in place, and development costs are known and deterministic. Why change?There is a growing body of evidence, both qualitative and quantitative, that shows that C/C++ is making the production of safe and secure software more difficult than it should be. Decades of research and investment have still not yielded a “safe C/C++” that is cost-effective, flexible, and reliable.The good news is that today, depending on what you may want to do, you have better options.Rust and Ada - improving traditional development processesTeams that are looking at alternative programming languages have two options today: Ada and Rust. Both languages raise the bar in terms of safety and security compared to C/C++; each has unique strengthsConsider ecosystems and communities. Rust has a vibrant community that has developed a huge amount of resources over a short period of time. However, its commercial ecosystem is still in the process of organizing itself. AdaCore has a role to play in this, but filling some of the gaps is going to take some time. In contrast, Ada has a smaller community - it has been growing over the years but much more slowly. However Ada has a complete and mature ecosystem bot...