February 18, 2026
Speed vs Safety: Choose your fighter
Windows: Prefer the Native API over Win32
Zig skips the safe route; devs warn of virus alarms and lifetime fixes
TLDR: Zig wants to use Windows’ low-level native functions for speed and control instead of the usual Win32 layer. The community is split: some warn of antivirus false alarms and long-term breakage, others ask for proof and a hybrid approach, and many question how stable these hidden APIs really are.
Zig just poked the Windows bear: instead of the usual Win32 layer (the friendly, well-documented route), the project wants to use Windows’ Native API in ntdll—aka the “behind-the-scenes” functions for more speed, more power, and leaner apps. Translation for non-nerds: cut out the middleman to talk directly to Windows. Fans say this means fewer surprise slowdowns and better error messages (goodbye vague “BOOL” results, hello detailed “NTSTATUS”). Skeptics say it’s like driving without seatbelts.
The comments lit up. One user called it “the API every guide says not to touch,” comparing it to skipping the safe library in Linux and calling raw system functions. Another dropped the big mood: “Fool’s errand,” warning you’ll be stuck maintaining this forever while Grandpa Windows 98 apps still run on Windows 11. Then came the antivirus scare: folks worry these low-level calls look “suspicious,” cue quarantine pop-ups and angry users, with devs stuck fighting the AV mini-boss instead of shipping.
Drama escalated with a stability question: is ntdll truly steady, or will an update pull the rug? No official promise has people nervous. The pragmatic camp chimed in: use both—stick to Win32 where it’s fine, go native only when needed, and benchmark. Meanwhile, the memes wrote themselves: “Choose your fighter: Speed vs Stability,” “Windows Jenga,” and the eternal “is this really faster?” popcorn. Zig fans are excited, but the rest of the room is clutching their antivirus.
Key Points
- •Zig favors calling Windows Native APIs via ntdll.dll instead of Win32 APIs from kernel32.dll.
- •Win32 operates as a subsystem built atop the Native API, which is accessed via ntdll to issue NT kernel syscalls.
- •Native APIs offer performance, capabilities not exposed by Win32, fewer dependencies, and early boot flexibility.
- •Drawbacks include limited documentation and potential changes, though such changes are rare due to Microsoft’s own use.
- •Native APIs return NTSTATUS and use more ergonomic types; features can exceed Win32, e.g., ReadDirectoryChangesW uses NtNotifyChangeDirectoryFile.