Discord is moving its desktop app from Electron to Rust for improved speed and memory safety; its CTO shares an image of the Windows app using just 290MB of RAM (Tom Warren/The Verge)

Discord is gradually transitioning its desktop applications from the Electron framework to the Rust programming language, with the goal of enhancing speed and memory safety. The company has been utilizing Rust since 2018 for various components of its infrastructure, voice technology, and client applications. Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Discord's chief technology officer, revealed in a post on X that the ultimate objective is to have the entire client built using Rust.

This transition involves discontinuing Electron and React Native, with mobile apps retaining native UI while sharing code with desktop applications through Rust. Vishnevskiy shared an image showcasing the Discord Windows client consuming only 290MB of RAM, a significant improvement over the current Windows app, which can easily utilize 1GB or more of memory when participating in several servers.

The exact timeline for the complete shift to Rust remains undisclosed, but Vishnevskiy indicated that the company anticipates testing the new version with users in the near future.