Rust crates I refuse to build backend systems without in 2026:
๐ถ axum = ergonomic, modular HTTP framework
๐ถ tokio = async runtime that powers half the Rust ecosystem
๐ถ serde + serde_json = serialization that just works
๐ถ validator = making request validation simple and predictable
๐ถ sqlx = async, compile-time checked SQL without ORM magic
๐ถ redis-rs = caching, queueing, rate limiting
๐ถ tonic + Prost = gRPC with first-class async support
๐ถ tracing + tracing-subscriber + log = structured logs you can actually use easily
๐ถ thiserror / anyhow = error handling that stays out of your way
๐ถ utoipa = OpenAPI docs without boilerplate
๐ถ prometheus = metrics you can alert on
๐ถ time / chrono = date & time utilities
๐ถ jsonwebtoken = straightforward JWT auth for secure endpoints
๐ถ argon2 = secure password hashing
Which 3 Rust crates are non-negotiable for you?
Golang libraries I refuse to build backend systems without in 2026:
๐ถ chi (or gin) = HTTP routing that stays out of your way
๐ถ zap (or slog) = structured logging that wonโt slow prod
๐ถ validator/v10 = request validation that isnโt โif err != nilโ spaghetti
๐ถ sqlc = type-safe SQL without ORM magic
๐ถ pgx = Postgres driver that actually performs
๐ถ redis/go-redis = caching + rate limits + locks
๐ถ grpc-go = service-to-service calls done right
๐ถ protobuf = contracts that donโt break silently
๐ถ go-playground/middleware patterns = timeouts, recover, request IDs
๐ถ prometheus/client_golang = metrics you can alert on
๐ถ OpenTelemetry (otel) = tracing when โitโs slow sometimesโ happens
๐ถ testify = tests that donโt make you cry
๐ถ mockery = sane mocking for interfaces
๐ถ uber-go/fx (optional) = DI when the codebase gets big
๐ถ golangci-lint = one command to keep code quality honest
Which 3 Go libs are non-negotiable for you?
Jan 31, 2026 ยท 1:24 AM UTC
1
5
839