Emscripten

Emscripten

Emscripten is an open-source LLVM-based project that compiles C and C++ code into JavaScript. It allows developers to port native desktop and mobile apps to the web without losing performance.
Emscripten screenshot

Emscripten: Compile C/C++ to JavaScript

Emscripten is an open-source LLVM-based project that compiles C and C++ code into JavaScript, enabling developers to port native desktop and mobile apps to the web without compromising performance.

What is Emscripten?

Emscripten is an open-source compiler toolchain that compiles C and C++ code into highly-optimized JavaScript. It leverages the LLVM compiler infrastructure to translate native desktop and mobile apps into web apps that can run in all major browsers without plugins.

Some key features of Emscripten include:

  • Compiles C/C++ into asm.js JavaScript subset for near-native performance
  • Supports OpenGL, SDL, Boost, Python and other libraries
  • Integrates with JavaScript engines for DOM access, file systems, audio, etc.
  • Compiler flags allow optimizing for code size, performance or both
  • Can integrate with JavaScript frameworks like React and Angular
  • Enables porting of games, productivity apps, multimedia apps, visualization tools and more to the web

Emscripten makes it possible to bring complex, performance-sensitive C/C++ apps to the web without needing plugins. It opens up new possibilities for app distribution and reach, especially for games and graphics-intensive programs.

Emscripten Features

Features

  1. Compiles C/C++ code to JavaScript
  2. Allows porting desktop and mobile apps to the web
  3. Uses LLVM and asm.js for efficient code generation
  4. Integrates with HTML5 APIs
  5. Supports multithreading with pthreads
  6. Can interface with JavaScript code and libraries

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Performance approaching native speeds

Code reuse - leverage existing C/C++ code

Write once, run on web and mobile platforms

Rapid development compared to pure JavaScript

Access to advanced language features of C/C++

Cons

Complex build setup and configuration

Debugging can be challenging

Web platform limitations compared to native apps

Not all native APIs are supported

Browser compatibility issues

Large download sizes

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