> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://itsfoss.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Thunderbird Embraces Microsoft Exchange: Relies on Rust to add Support! - URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/thunderbird-rust-microsoft-exchange/ - Published: 2024-04-22T14:12:28.000Z - Updated: 2024-04-22T14:12:28.000Z - Description: Thunderbird + Rust, exciting times! - Author: Sourav Rudra - Tags: Development Updates, News, #Import 2025-11-08 21:15 Many users know Thunderbird to be one of the [best email clients for Linux](https://itsfoss.com/best-email-clients-linux/), and rightly so. It has been around since 2003, consistently coping with changes in the [Internet mail standards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet%5Fmail%5Fstandard?ref=itsfoss.com) and other trends in the electronic mail world. Continuing on that lineage, [Thunderbird](https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/?ref=itsfoss.com) is now stepping into a new chapter, with [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/?ref=itsfoss.com) powering it all. Let's see what's going on. ## Thunderbird and Rust: A Good Pairing? Thunderbird is all set **to provide native support for** [**Microsoft Exchange**](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/exchange/email?ref=itsfoss.com) via the [Exchange Web Services](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/client-developer/web-service-reference/ews-managed-api-reference-for-exchange?ref=itsfoss.com) API (*EWS*). Doing so **will most likely end the need for a paid add-on** such as [Owl for Exchange](https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-us/thunderbird/addon/owl-for-exchange/?ref=itsfoss.com), which happens to be one of the popular ways of using Exchange with Thunderbird. ![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/Owl_AddOn_Thunderbird.jpg) Owl for Exchange Native support for Exchange is being made possible with the use of Rust. But, seeing that Thunderbird features a lot of old code that dates back to the days of [Netscape Communicator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netscape%5FCommunicator?ref=itsfoss.com), the developers have had to improvise a lot. ### Why go with Rust? The developers went with Rust because they wanted something powerful to develop complex features quickly, with long-term maintenance in mind. Rust provides advantages such as **memory safety**, **robust performance**, and a **modular nature** that is **supported by a vast ecosystem of users**. There's also things like the shared CI infrastructure with [Firefox](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/?ref=itsfoss.com) that supports Rust, a set of powerful tools, support for a wide variety of platforms, and the ability to create modular crates that enable code reusability. However, **the transition has not been smooth**. Thanks to Thunderbird's huge codebase, a **lot of existing code doesn't play nice with Rust**. Take, for instance, the build system, which had to be given a tweak where Thunderbird would define its workspace and add its config to [*mach*](https://firefox-source-docs.mozilla.org/mach/index.html?ref=itsfoss.com), Mozilla's upstream build tool. Then there's [*XPCOM*](https://firefox-source-docs.mozilla.org/xpcom/index.html?ref=itsfoss.com), for which Thunderbirds' developers had to implement a bridge to get it working with Rust. As to **how they intend to implement Exchange support**, they are banking on using the [Necko](https://firefox-source-docs.mozilla.org/networking/index.html?ref=itsfoss.com) networking component found on Firefox. But, that is written in C++. They implemented two key things to overcome the compatibility issues. First, they added support for a native Rust async/await syntax, and the second is that they added an [idiomatic](https://medium.com/swlh/idiomatic-code-a73f17f0f287?ref=itsfoss.com) HTTP API to take care of the creation of XPCOM objects and Rustic error handling. There are a few more things that they did, but I am skipping over those to keep things concise. After going through the above, naturally, one question comes to mind. ### When will Thunderbird feature support for Microsoft Exchange? In the **upcoming ESR release of Thunderbird**, which is scheduled to be released in **July 2024**. As this is a big undertaking, **the developers are only implementing native Exchange support for email**, with calendar and address book support arriving later. If you have any further questions regarding this, you can refer to the [announcement blog](https://blog.thunderbird.net/2024/04/adventures-in-rust-bringing-exchange-support-to-thunderbird/?ref=itsfoss.com). There's also a [community interaction](https://blog.thunderbird.net/2024/04/april-2024-community-office-hours-rust-and-exchange-support/?ref=itsfoss.com) taking place for the Rust endeavor on Thunderbird. You can refer to the official details on when they share more details through video chat/stream. **Suggested Read** 📖 [Top 10 Best Email Clients for Linux in 2024A list of the best desktop email clients available on the Linux platform along with their features.![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2022/12/android-chrome-192x192.png)It's FOSSMunif Tanjim![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2023/11/best-email-clients-for-linux.png)](https://itsfoss.com/best-email-clients-linux/)