# Discord Rebuilds Desktop App in Rust to Replace Electron Discord’s new Rust-based client significantly reduces memory usage and improves startup speeds. - **Source:** [Hacker News: Front Page](https://brifing.si/source/b07aa772-b1a0-4a76-aa18-719c6f9e2dde) - **Published:** 2026-11-07 - **Topic:** [technology](https://brifing.si/c/technology) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/fe246946-751d-484f-a78f-bbd550088e8f ## Discord Shifts to Rust Discord is transitioning its desktop application from the Electron framework to a custom Rust-based architecture. CTO Stanislav Vishnevskiy demonstrated the new client, internally codenamed Phoenix, which achieves near-instant startup times. This shift marks a departure from the Chromium-based Electron model that has powered the platform for over a decade. ## Performance and Memory Gains The new Rust client consumes approximately 290.2MB of RAM while running two accounts simultaneously. This represents a significant reduction compared to the current Electron version, which typically idles between 1GB and 2GB. Discord employees confirmed these metrics were captured during cold starts on modern Lenovo ThinkPad laptops running Windows 11. ## GPUI Framework Implementation Discord adopted GPUI, a GPU-accelerated UI framework originally developed for the Zed code editor. Unlike Electron, which bundles a full browser engine for every window, GPUI draws the interface directly on the GPU. This approach avoids the memory-heavy multi-process architecture inherent to Chromium-based applications, resulting in a much leaner footprint. ## Background Update Mechanism The new architecture eliminates the traditional 'Starting' modal that previously checked for updates upon launch. Discord now handles updates silently in the background, allowing the application to bootstrap instantly. This change removes the need for integration with the Windows Update Orchestration Platform, streamlining the user experience during every cold start. ## Cross-Platform Strategy While the new client is optimized for Windows, the underlying Rust code is designed for cross-platform compatibility. Discord intends to support macOS and Linux, leveraging the same core logic across different operating systems. Web-based features like YouTube embeds will continue to utilize native system webviews to maintain functionality without sacrificing performance. ## Browser Version Evolution The web-based version of Discord will retain HTML rendering but transition its internal logic from JavaScript to WebAssembly. By using WASM, the platform can share the same Rust codebase used by the desktop client. This ensures feature parity across all platforms while maintaining the performance benefits of compiled, memory-safe code. ## Industry Memory Constraints The shift toward memory-efficient software is partly driven by rising DRAM costs and industry-wide focus on hardware optimization. Microsoft has recently prioritized reducing Windows 11 memory usage as AI workloads consume significant data center resources. Discord’s move reflects a broader trend of developers moving away from resource-heavy web-wrapper applications. ## Future Deployment Outlook Discord is currently conducting private testing to ensure stability and security before a public release. The company has not announced a specific launch date but emphasizes that accessibility remains a top priority. Once released, this transition could set a new standard for performance-focused desktop applications across the messaging software industry. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.windowslatest.com/2026/11/06/every-windows-11-app-should-kill-electron-and-discord-just-showed-why-no-starting-screen-and-70-less-ram-even-with-two-accounts-signed-in/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._