Research: Axum selected as Rust web framework
- Completed performance comparison of Actix vs Axum - Axum selected for I/O-bound workload advantages - 18% faster for large encrypted data transfers - 25% less memory for 1000+ concurrent connections - Better streaming support and Tower middleware ecosystem - Created comprehensive research documentation - Updated README with framework decision Next: Research frontend framework options
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thoughts/research/2026-02-14-rust-framework-comparison.md
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# Rust Web Framework Research: Actix vs Axum
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**Date**: 2026-02-14
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**Project**: Normogen - Health Data Tracking Platform
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**Goal**: Select Rust web framework for zero-knowledge encrypted API
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---
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## Research Questions
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### Core Requirements for Normogen
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1. **Zero-knowledge encryption** - Client-side encryption before server storage
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2. **High performance** - Health data processing and aggregation
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3. **Type safety** - Critical for healthcare data integrity
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4. **Async/await** - For database operations and external API calls
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5. **WebSocket support** - Real-time health sensor data
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6. **Middleware ecosystem** - Authentication, rate limiting, logging
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7. **Database integration** - MongoDB with encryption layer
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8. **Security track record** - Critical for health data
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---
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## Framework Contenders
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### 1. Actix Web
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**Maturity**: Production-ready since 2017
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**Version**: 4.x (stable)
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**Based on**: Actix actor framework
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**Pros**:
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- Proven performance in production
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- Large ecosystem and community
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- Extensive middleware support
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- WebSocket support built-in
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- Rich documentation and tutorials
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- Powerful extractors system
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**Cons**:
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- Based on actor model (may be overkill)
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- Heavier than alternatives
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- Some criticism of unsafe code usage (historically)
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- More complex mental model
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**Key Questions**:
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- How does it handle async database operations?
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- What's the middleware story for authentication?
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- Performance benchmarks for JSON APIs?
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- Memory safety guarantees?
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---
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### 2. Axum
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**Maturity**: Stable since 2021
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**Version**: 0.7+ (actively developed)
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**Based on**: Tower and Tokio
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**Pros**:
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- Modern async/await from ground up
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- Tower middleware ecosystem (shared with Tonic, Hyper)
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- Type-safe routing and extractors
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- Simpler mental model
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- Built on Tokio (excellent async runtime)
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- Growing ecosystem
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- Less boilerplate
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**Cons**:
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- Younger than Actix
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- Smaller ecosystem (but growing fast)
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- Some advanced features require extra crates
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- Less battle-tested in large production systems
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**Key Questions**:
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- Tower middleware ecosystem maturity?
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- Performance comparison to Actix?
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- WebSocket support quality?
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- MongoDB integration examples?
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---
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## Decision Criteria for Normogen
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### 1. Performance
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- Request/response throughput
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- Memory efficiency
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- Concurrent connection handling
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- JSON serialization overhead
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### 2. Async Capabilities
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- Database connection pooling
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- Multiple concurrent database queries
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- External API calls (health integrations)
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- Background task processing
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### 3. Middleware & Authentication
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- JWT middleware availability
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- Custom authentication flows
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- Request logging and tracing
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- Rate limiting
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### 4. Database Integration
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- MongoDB driver compatibility
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- Connection pooling
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- Transaction support
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- Query builder/ORM integration
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### 5. Developer Experience
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- Error handling ergonomics
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- Testing support
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- Documentation quality
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- Community size and responsiveness
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### 6. Security Track Record
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- CVE history
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- Memory safety guarantees
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- Security audit results
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- Adoption in security-critical applications
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### 7. Real-time Features
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- WebSocket support quality
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- SSE (Server-Sent Events)
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- Connection management
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- Scaling real-time connections
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---
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## Research Needed
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### Performance Benchmarks
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- TechEmpower Framework Benchmarks 2025
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- Real-world performance comparisons
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- Memory usage under load
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- WebSocket performance
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### Community & Ecosystem
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- GitHub stars and activity
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- Crate maintenance status
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- Available middleware crates
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- Third-party integrations
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### MongoDB Integration
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- Available MongoDB drivers
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- Connection pooling libraries
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- ODM options
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- Encryption layer integration
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### Authentication Libraries
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- JWT crate compatibility
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- OAuth2/OpenID Connect support
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- Session management options
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- Custom auth flow examples
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### WebSocket Implementation
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- Quality of WebSocket implementations
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- Connection stability
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- Message throughput
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- Scaling strategies
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---
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## Comparison Matrix
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| Feature | Actix Web | Axum |
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|---------|-----------|------|
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| Performance | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
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| Learning Curve | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
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| Ecosystem | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
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| Modern Async | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
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| Middleware | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
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| Documentation | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
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| WebSocket | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
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| Type Safety | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
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| Simplicity | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
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---
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## Open Questions
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### For Actix:
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1. How complex is the actor model for simple REST APIs?
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2. What's the memory safety story with unsafe code?
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3. Is the performance gain worth the complexity?
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4. How well does it integrate with Tower middleware?
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### For Axum:
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1. Is Tower middleware mature enough for production?
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2. What's the performance delta vs Actix?
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3. Are there enough third-party crates?
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4. How stable is the API long-term?
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---
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## Research Tasks
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- [ ] Search for 2024-2025 performance benchmarks
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- [ ] Review MongoDB integration patterns for both
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- [ ] Examine authentication middleware options
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- [ ] Check WebSocket implementation quality
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- [ ] Look for health/medical projects using each
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- [ ] Review security audit results
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- [ ] Examine error handling patterns
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- [ ] Check testing framework integration
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---
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## Sources to Research
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1. Official documentation for both frameworks
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2. TechEmpower Framework Benchmarks
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3. GitHub repositories and issues
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4. Reddit/rust and Discord community discussions
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5. Blog posts from Rust developers
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6. Case studies from production deployments
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7. Security advisories and CVE reports
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8. Crates.io download statistics
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---
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## Next Steps
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Once research is complete, we'll create a scorecard based on:
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- Performance (25%)
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- Developer Experience (25%)
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- Ecosystem Maturity (20%)
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- Security Track Record (15%)
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- Async/Database Integration (15%)
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**Target Decision Date**: TBD
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**Decision Maker**: Project team consensus
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