Zlib-rs is faster than C

        unsafe {
            let x_tmp0 = _mm_clmulepi64_si128(xmm_crc0, crc_fold, 0x10);
            xmm_crc0 = _mm_clmulepi64_si128(xmm_crc0, crc_fold, 0x01);
            xmm_crc1 = _mm_xor_si128(xmm_crc1, x_tmp0);
            xmm_crc1 = _mm_xor_si128(xmm_crc1, xmm_crc0);

Presumably with inline assembly both languages can emit what is effectively the same machine code. Is the Rust compiler a better optimizing compiler than C compilers?

In good practice it’s used judiciously in a codebase where it makes sense. Those sections receive extra attention and analysis by the developers.

Of course you can find sloppy codebases where people reach for unsafe as a way to get around Rust instead of writing code the Rust way, but that’s not the intent.

You can also find die-hard Rust users who think unsafe should never be used and make a point to avoid libraries that use it, but that’s excessive.

If you smell it when you're not working on the gas lines, that's a signal.

No need to get all moral about it.