Modernizing a Database With Rust: Safe, Fast, Future-Ready

Our client maintains an open-source data platform commonly adopted in systems where responsiveness and consistency matter. The platform is optimized for real-time operation and supports multiple data access patterns, from simple key-value lookups to real-time analytical use cases. It also provides an integrated search engine for performing rich queries on live data.

The search engine at its core is a mature and highly optimized C codebase – powerful, but ready for a more modern foundation as the project continues to grow. To support faster innovation and benefit from stronger safety guarantees, the team decided to gradually migrate the codebase to Rust. This shift promised more sustainable long-term development and a smoother path for future features. With limited in-house Rust expertise, the team reach out to Mainmatter to guide them through the transition.

We started by deconstructing the extensive C-codebase of the query engine into modular components, prioritizing the less entangled “leaf” modules for early migration. This incremental, step-by-step strategy allowed us to gradually substitute C modules with Rust while managing risk and preserving system stability. We mapped out a migration roadmap, selected modules with clear boundaries and low dependencies, and proceeded in waves to ensure each port built confidence and momentum.

The collaboration has set the search engine on a clear path toward a safer, more maintainable codebase. Key modules have already been ported and released to the public, validating the approach and demonstrating tangible benefits. With a well-defined process for migrating C modules to Rust, a strong foundation of reusable Rust components, and growing in-house expertise, the client's team is steadily advancing its modernization journey—supported by Mainmatter’s experts, who continue to provide hands-on guidance throughout the transformation.