Macros are a mechanism for code generation that applies a transformation to source code at the lexical, syntactical, or semantic level. These controls will enable new ways to work with data in memory, combining the performance of current 'unsafe' constructs with the safety of Swift’s standard library features.Īnother promising area for Swift is the creation of a procedural macro system to enable the creation of advanced libraries and DSLs. Additionally, Swift could get support for non-copyable types to restrict the lifecycle of critical values. This could include prohibiting implicit copies, enabling ownership transfers, and borrowing values without copying them. While work on ownership did not lead anywhere, the Swift language workgroup is bringing it back with the aim to provide programmers with more control on values in memory. None of the features of ownership will slow down your program while it’s running.ĭiscussions on the introduction of ownership in Swift began back in 2017 and led to the definitions of an Ownership Manifesto. If any of the rules are violated, the program won’t compile. Rust uses a third approach: memory is managed through a system of ownership with a set of rules that the compiler checks.

Ownership is an approach to memory management that has recently become popular thanks to Rust, where it holds as one of the most defining language features and at the foundations of its ability to provide memory safety guarantees. The Swift language workgroup has detailed the main focus areas for the development of Swift in 2023 and further on, which include defining an ownership model for memory management, non-copyable types, a macro system, and C++ interoperability.

Macos swift development