How does the memory management mechanism in Rust differ from similar systems in other programming languages?

In Rust, memory management is based on the ownership system, borrowing, and lifetimes, which guarantee memory safety at compile time without a garbage collector.

Main differences from other languages:

• No garbage collector: Rust does not use GC, reducing overhead and delays during runtime.
• Ownership and borrowing: Each variable owns its resource, and the compiler enforces borrowing rules to prevent data races and leaks.
• Lifetimes: A system that guarantees references are not used after the resource is freed.

Unlike languages with automatic memory management (e.g., Java, Python), Rust provides safety and performance without GC costs. Compared to C/C++, Rust prevents memory errors at compile time.

Example with ownership and borrowing:

fn main() {
    let s = String::from("Hello");
    borrow_string(&s);
    println!("{}", s); // s is still valid
}

fn borrow_string(s: &String) {
    println!("{}", s);
}

Here, borrow_string borrows the string without taking ownership, which is safe and efficient.