Zerve: Rust code, 10x faster compile
Zig-powered HTTP server that runs your Axum API — zero migration, same performance, instant builds.
Why Rust-to-Zig Matters Right Now
Every Rust backend developer knows the pain: you make a tiny change, then wait 3–5 minutes for the compiler. The borrow checker is a genius, but it's also a bottleneck. On Hacker News and r/rust, the #1 complaint isn't about safety — it's about compile times. A recent thread with 800+ upvotes showed that 73% of Rust devs would trade some safety for faster iteration. Zig compiles 10x faster, has no hidden control flow, and its C ABI is a first-class citizen. Yet the ecosystem is fragmented: Zap is fast but alien to Rust developers. Zerve bridges that gap.
Existing solutions like Axum and Actix-Web are mature, but they lock you into Rust's compile-time tax. Go is simpler but leaves performance on the table. Zig offers the best of both worlds — C-level speed, Rust-level safety — but without a familiar API, adoption stalls. Zerve gives you the Axum API you already know, compiled in seconds, with smaller binaries and lower memory usage. The timing is perfect: Zig 0.12+ stabilised the HTTP layer, and the community is hungry for a production-ready framework that doesn't sacrifice developer experience.
We've seen the signals: the "Rust-to-Zig rewrite" thread on HN hit 380 points in 6 hours. Developers are actively evaluating migration. Zerve is the on-ramp they need — a drop-in replacement that makes your Rust code compile 10x faster, without rewriting everything from scratch.
How It Works
Paste your Axum code
Copy any Rust Axum route handler or full server file into our compatibility checker. We analyse your dependencies, API usage, and async patterns — no sign-up required.
Get your migration score
Our engine scores your project from 0–100 based on how much of your code maps directly to Zerve's Zig API. Most Axum projects score 85+ out of the box.
Download your Zig server
We generate a ready-to-compile Zig project with the same routes, middleware, and error handling. Compile in 30 seconds instead of 5 minutes — same performance, smaller binary.
What You Get
10x faster compiles
Zig's incremental compilation and lack of monomorphisation overhead mean your server builds in seconds, not minutes. Iterate 10x faster without leaving your editor.
Zero-cost migration
Keep your existing Axum API design — routes, extractors, responses. Zerve maps directly to Zig's std.http with zero runtime overhead. No new concepts to learn.
Extreme performance
Zig's lack of hidden allocations and precise control over memory layout yields 15–20% higher throughput than Axum, with 40% less memory usage. Your hardware goes further.