Backend services with Axum / Actix
Tokio-based async services, OpenTelemetry tracing, sqlx for type-safe Postgres, Sea ORM where ORM ergonomics help.
Senior engineering · Rust
Rust for systems where memory safety, predictable performance, and zero-cost abstractions are the value — services, embedded targets, WASM runtimes, and the rewrite of hot paths the old language couldn't defend.
Why senior, not contractor
Rust is for the engagements where C-level performance is needed without a C-level memory-safety risk. Prosigns ships Rust for backend services where latency or throughput dominates the budget, for WASM payloads on the edge, for embedded targets, and for blockchain / smart-contract tooling where the type system is the audit. We don't recommend Rust as a default — we recommend it where its specific strengths pay for the higher engineering cost.
Senior floor
G6+ minimum
Bench depth
10+ G6/G9 engineers
In production
2021+
Engagement
Outcome-led SOW
Where Rust ships
Specific applications of Rust we’ve built and operate. Every example below maps to a real engagement, not a bullet on a stack-card.
Tokio-based async services, OpenTelemetry tracing, sqlx for type-safe Postgres, Sea ORM where ORM ergonomics help.
Cloudflare Workers (Workers Rust), browser WASM with wasm-bindgen, embedded interpreters (wasmtime, wasmer).
Clap-driven CLIs, single-binary distribution, ripgrep / fd / bat-style throughput when the operating context demands it.
Solana programs (Anchor), Substrate-based chains, ink! contracts, NEAR contracts. Type-system-as-audit discipline.
Cortex-M MCUs, RTIC, Embassy for async on bare metal. RTOS adapters and HAL crates for hardware engagements.
Selective rewrites of CPU-bound or memory-bound services from Python / Node / Java where the perf gap is genuinely there.
Stack depth
Frameworks, libraries, and runtime tools the bench has shipped in production. Not a CV-skim — a working depth.
Web + API
Data + persistence
WASM + embedded
Blockchain
Quality + ops
Engagement models
We don’t bill hourly contractors. Engagements run against outcomes — choose the shape that matches the work.
See engagement modelsFixed-scope
When the deliverable is clear and the scope is bounded — an MVP, a migration, a discrete platform build. Senior engineering against a written outcome, not against a body count.
Embedded squad
When the work is product-shaped and the cadence is continuous. A senior pod (engineering + design + PM as needed) embedded into your team, with the practice lead co-piloting from HELM.
Managed services
When the system is running and needs ongoing engineering ownership — operations, SLO defense, release management, security and compliance evidence. Monthly retainer against a published SLA.
Selected work
Financial services
Replaced a Python + Cython scoring service with a Rust + Axum implementation. Went from 60ms p99 to 5ms p99 at 4x the throughput per pod. Sqlx for type-safe Postgres access; Tokio for I/O.
Duration · 4 months
Brief us
Reply < 4 business hoursFive fields. Goes straight to the practice lead — not an SDR. We’ll reply with a senior engineer’s read on fit, scope, and the engagement model that suits the work.
FAQ
Everything below also appears in the proposal and the SOW — no surprises after signing.
When latency or throughput is the dominant constraint and the workload won't let you scale out instead. For embedded / WASM / blockchain where Rust's strengths are uniquely valuable. For team contexts where the engineering tax of Rust is paid back by the operational simplicity. It's the wrong default for content-heavy or rapidly-changing business logic.
Yes, they're still slow on large workspaces. We mitigate with sccache, cargo-chef in Docker builds, modular workspace design, and `cargo check` / `cargo clippy` in tight inner loops. It's a real tax — but for the workloads where Rust fits, the tax pays off.
Engineering-led delivery. We don't bill hourly contractors against your JIRA board. Every engagement runs against a defined outcome with a senior engineer accountable from kickoff to operating cutover. If you genuinely need staff-aug — discrete bodies, your management, hourly rates — we'll be honest and route you to a partner that fits.
G6 minimum (six-plus years in their craft) on every billable hour. Department leads are G9 or G10. We don't flex juniors onto the bench mid-sprint, we don't subcontract to delivery centers, and we don't dilute senior rates with mixed staffing. The bench in the proposal is the bench in production.
Three engagement models published at /engagement-models/. Fixed-scope for defined deliverables, embedded squads for ongoing product work, managed services for steady-state operations. Rates depend on seniority, engagement length, and region. Discovery + scoping conversation is free; SOWs are written against deliverables, not bodies.
Senior-only across Dallas, Doha, Lahore, and Islamabad. We staff against the engagement's needs (timezone, language, regulatory frame), not against arbitrary regional preferences. Most engagements run with a US/EU-aligned core and a follow-the-sun extended bench when the workload warrants it.
Yes. We name the engineers in the SOW, attach their profiles, and they're on the kickoff. We don't bait-and-switch with senior reviewers and junior execution. If a named engineer needs to roll off the engagement (rare), we surface a replacement from the same seniority tier with explicit handoff.
Talk to a Rust lead
Bring the workload — we’ll bring a senior engineer plus the practice lead most relevant to the work. 30 minutes, no obligation, no junior reps.