Discord, long criticized for how much RAM it consumes, is reportedly planning to move away from the web-based frameworks behind its memory problems. The shift comes as PC memory grows scarcer and more expensive, pushing software makers to rethink how efficient their apps need to be.
Microsoft is addressing Windows 11’s weak showing on entry-level hardware, and software vendors are moving in the same direction. Discord’s CTO has confirmed a ground-up desktop client rewrite. By moving to Rust and leaving behind the web-based stack of previous builds, the app should see a significant performance boost.
Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Discord’s co-founder and CTO, said the company started adopting Rust in 2018 and now uses it in several areas of its infrastructure and products. Some sections of the current client already use it, though converting the full app will take longer.
Vishnevskiy confirmed that Discord’s Electron-based desktop app is being retired, along with React Native on mobile. Electron lets developers lean on JavaScript and other widely used web technologies, but it demands far more from a system than native code written in C or Rust. Each Electron app bundles its own copy of Chromium, so its memory use will always run higher than a native equivalent.
To show what the new app can do, Vishnevskiy shared a screenshot of his Task Manager. “Discord Phoenix” was using about 290 MB of RAM. The Electron version never managed that. It has spent years gobbling gigabytes of memory, leaving developers to lean on questionable tricks just to claw back some performance.
The new Rust client is expected to address both issues. According to Vishnevskiy, the mobile version will keep its current native interface while sharing the Rust code now going into the desktop release. Discord plans to offer a beta before long, but hasn’t said when.
Discord’s effort to make its app more efficient arrives at a useful time. AI data center expansion is disrupting the chip supply chain, and most manufacturers now treat PC DRAM as a low priority. TeamGroup CEO Chen Ching-wen said customers will soon be unable to buy DDR4 or DDR5 RAM in any amount, no matter what they’re willing to spend.
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