The Sui blockchain stands out in the crowded Layer 1 (L1) space not just for its speed and scalability, but also for its use of the Move programming language. Originally developed for Meta’s (formerly Facebook) Diem (Libra) blockchain, Move was designed with security and flexibility in mind.

But why did Sui adopt Move instead of more established languages like Solidity (Ethereum) or Rust (Solana, Polkadot)?

This article explores:
🔹 What makes Move unique?
🔹 Key advantages of Move for Sui’s architecture
🔹 How Move compares to Solidity and Rust
🔹 Potential drawbacks and challenges

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1. What is Move? A Secure, Asset-Centric Language

Move was created to address critical flaws in blockchain programming:
Built for digital assets – Unlike general-purpose languages, Move treats assets (coins, NFTs) as first-class citizens.
Prevents common exploits – Reentrancy attacks, overflow bugs, and unauthorized access are harder to execute.
Formal verification support – Allows mathematical proof of code correctness.

Example:

• In Ethereum, a simple typo can lead to a $100M hack.
• Move’s strict ownership rules make such errors impossible by design.

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2. Why Sui Chose Move Over Solidity or Rust

🔹 Security-First Design

• Solidity (Ethereum):
  • Prone to reentrancy attacks (e.g., The DAO hack).
  • Manual checks (like SafeMath) are needed to prevent overflows.
• Move:
  • No dangling references – Prevents exploits like the $325M Wormhole hack.
  • Automatic overflow checks – No need for external libraries.

🔹 Perfect Fit for Sui’s Object-Centric Model

• Sui treats everything as an object (coins, NFTs, smart contracts).
• Move’s resource-oriented model aligns naturally with this approach.

🔹 Parallel Execution Support

• Move’s linear types ensure transactions don’t conflict.
• Enables Sui’s 100,000+ TPS claims by processing transactions in parallel.

🔹 Easier Auditing & Maintenance

• Move code is more predictable than Solidity.
• No hidden side effects (a major pain point in Ethereum development).

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3. Move vs. Solidity vs. Rust: A Quick Comparison

Feature	Move (Sui, Aptos)	Solidity (Ethereum)	Rust (Solana, Polkadot)
Security	✅ Best (built for assets)	❌ Exploit-prone	⚠️ Better than Solidity
Learning Curve	Medium (new paradigm)	Easy (but risky)	Hard (memory management)
Parallelism	✅ Optimized for Sui	❌ Sequential	✅ Possible but manual
Adoption	Growing (Sui, Aptos)	Dominant (Ethereum)	Popular (Solana, NEAR)

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4. Potential Drawbacks of Move

** Smaller Developer Community**

• Solidity has 10x more devs than Move.
• Sui must invest in education (grants, tutorials, hackathons).

** Less Flexibility for Non-Asset Use Cases**

• Move excels at tokens and DeFi but can feel restrictive for general-purpose apps.

** Early-Stage Tooling**

• IDEs, debuggers, and libraries are less mature than Ethereum’s ecosystem.

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5. The Future of Move on Sui

• More developer tools (like Move Analyzer for VS Code).
• Cross-chain interoperability (bridges to Ethereum, Solana).
• Enterprise adoption (Move’s security appeals to regulated industries).

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Conclusion: Move is Sui’s Secret Weapon

Sui chose Move because it’s faster, safer, and perfectly aligned with its object-centric architecture. While the language is still young, its design prevents the kinds of exploits that have plagued Ethereum.