It's both high-level and low-level. It can go all the way down to bare metal. actix-web abstracts away so much complexity that it's possible to program high-level tasks and be productive, but eventually work will require Rust expertise. In my first year with Rust, I accomplished a lot by using the high-level actix-web api and learning the language as I went along. I still have a lot more to learn. For instance, I can't write low-level network Connectors required of 3rd party clients (for instance, redis). Community can only help answer so many questions. It's important to develop competencies and achieve self-sufficiency (easier said than done).