TL;DR
Get the latest gadgets delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Discord says it is moving its desktop client away from Electron and React Native, rebuilding the desktop app around Rust. CTO Stanislav Vishnevskiy shared a Windows screenshot showing 290MB of RAM use, but the figure is a snapshot, not a published benchmark, and Discord has not announced a release date.
Discord plans to replace Electron in its desktop app with a client built around Rust, the company’s chief technology officer said. Stanislav Vishnevskiy also shared a Windows client screenshot showing 290MB of RAM use, though Discord has not published a formal performance test or said when the redesigned app will be released.
Vishnevskiy said the shift would remove both Electron, which Discord uses to run a desktop app built with web technologies, and React Native. He described the goal as moving the whole client to Rust. Discord’s mobile apps, however, are expected to keep their native user interfaces while sharing app code with desktop through Rust.
The company has used Rust in parts of its technology for years. Vishnevskiy said Discord began adopting it in 2018, and that infrastructure, voice technology and some of the existing client already use the language. The planned change would extend Rust’s role to the desktop client as a whole.
The RAM figure came from an image Vishnevskiy shared of the Windows client. It offers a concrete indication of the new app’s reported memory use, but the source material does not specify the test conditions, the number of servers or other apps running, or whether the same measurement applies broadly. Discord has not provided comparative benchmark results alongside the screenshot.
A Smaller Memory Footprint
A lower-memory desktop client could matter to people who keep Discord open while gaming, working or running other demanding applications. RAM use affects available system memory, so reducing the client’s footprint could leave more resources for those other tasks, particularly on computers with limited memory.
The 290MB screenshot is below the levels described in the report for some users of the current Windows app, whose memory use can reach 1GB or more when connected to a few servers. That comparison is not a controlled test: the report does not provide matching settings or a consistent workload for the two figures. The screenshot points to a possible improvement, but it does not establish how much memory users will save in ordinary use.
Moving away from Electron is also a substantial engineering change. Discord would be replacing a desktop approach based on web technologies, while coordinating shared code across desktop and mobile. If the migration succeeds, users could see a lighter client; the practical effect will depend on the released app and its performance across different machines and usage patterns.
Products Worth Considering
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch Laptop with M5 Chip, 16GB Memory, 512GB SSD, Liquid Retina Display, and Touch ID – Midnight
LG UltraGear 34GX90SA-W 34-inch WQHD Curved OLED Gaming Monitor
LG UltraGear 32GS60QC-B 32-inch Curved QHD Gaming Monitor (180Hz, 1ms, 1000R, AMD FreeSync, HDR10)
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Discord’s Existing Rust Work
Electron lets developers package web-based software as desktop applications across operating systems. The approach can support a shared development model, but Electron apps may use substantial system resources. The Verge report says Discord’s current Windows app can use 1GB or more of RAM for some users participating in a few servers; it does not present that as a universal measurement.
Discord’s proposed rewrite builds on an existing use of Rust rather than introducing the language across the company for the first time. Vishnevskiy said Rust is already used in parts of the company’s infrastructure and voice technology, as well as some of the client. The announced plan is to extend that work so the desktop client no longer relies on Electron or React Native.
The mobile plan is not to replace native interfaces with a single desktop-style interface. According to Vishnevskiy, mobile will retain its native UI while sharing app code with desktop through Rust. That distinction matters: the announcement describes a change to the shared application code and desktop implementation, not the abandonment of platform-specific mobile interfaces.
“We’ve been early adopters of Rust since 2018 and a lot of our infra, voice tech, and even some of the current client is already Rust, the holy grail was getting the whole client there.”
— Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Discord chief technology officer, in a post on X
Testing Date and RAM Results
Discord has not said when user testing will begin, which platforms will be included in an initial test, or when the new client might reach general release. Vishnevskiy’s wording expresses a hope to start testing soon, not a firm commitment or timetable.
The conditions behind the 290MB RAM screenshot are also not specified in the supplied report. There is no published test methodology or like-for-like comparison with the existing app, and it is not clear whether memory use changes with server count, voice activity, operating system or other settings. The reported figure should be treated as a snapshot rather than a guaranteed amount for all users.
The announcement does not provide details about feature parity, the migration schedule, or how Discord will handle the change across desktop platforms. Those questions may be answered as testing progresses; for now, the confirmed information is the planned move away from Electron and React Native and Discord’s intention to retain native mobile interfaces.
User Tests Before Release
The next stated milestone is testing with users, which Vishnevskiy said Discord hopes to start soon. The company has not named a date, testing group or sign-up process, so there is no confirmed route for users to join at this stage.
Further details from Discord or results from a test build would help establish whether the reported memory use holds across different setups and how the new client behaves in everyday use. Until Discord shares those details, the release timing and real-world performance remain open questions.
Key Questions
Is Discord’s new app available now?
The source report does not say that it is publicly available. Discord CTO Stanislav Vishnevskiy said the company hopes to get the app into user testing soon, without giving a date.
Is Discord definitely leaving Electron?
Vishnevskiy said the planned move would mean Electron goes away from the desktop client, along with React Native. The timing and rollout details have not been announced.
Will the new client use only 290MB of RAM?
That is the amount shown in a Windows client screenshot shared by Vishnevskiy. Discord has not published the test conditions or claimed that 290MB will be typical for every user.
What happens to Discord’s mobile apps?
Vishnevskiy said mobile will keep its native user interface while sharing app code with desktop through Rust. The announcement does not describe further mobile changes.
Source: theverge.com
