WebAssembly

WebAssembly (often abbreviated as Wasm) is a binary instruction format designed as a portable target for compiling high-level languages like C, C++, Rust, and others. It enables deployment on the web for client-side and server-side applications. It is a low-level bytecode format that can be executed in a virtual machine, typically integrated into web browsers. While initially developed for the web, Web Assembly is a Universal Runtime and sees applications in non-web environments such as IoT and edge devices.

Problem it addresses

For many years, the LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL PHP) stack was the template for web-based applications. Later, Javascript became the king of front-end application development and node. js based applications became the norm. As the technology around the web evolved, it heavily favored interpreted languages, which are typically less performant than compiled languages, even with technological advancements. While JavaScript has improved over the years, it still faces performance limitations when executing computationally intensive tasks. Interpreted languages that are compiled at runtime often see performance and functionality issues as the code is executed across different environments. Conversely, compiled binaries typically run the same as long as they’ve compiled correctly. However, historically, a compiled binary has been less suited for the web environment.

How it helps

WebAssembly provides a low-level binary format that can be executed at near-native speeds, enabling web applications to perform complex computations efficiently. It allows developers to build web applications by leveraging their existing skills in languages like C, C++, Rust, and others. This opens up new possibilities and allows developers to reuse existing codebases and libraries. Also, WebAssembly modules can run consistently across different browsers, operating systems, and devices, reducing the need for platform-specific code. Overall, WebAssembly addresses performance limitations, language restrictions, code portability, security concerns, code size, and loading time issues, providing a more robust and flexible environment for web application development.