WebAssembly

WebAssembly

WebAssembly is a low-level assembly-like language that runs in web browsers. It allows developers to write code in languages like C/C++ and Rust and compile it to WebAssembly, which runs at near-native speed in the browser.
WebAssembly image
assembly web-browser cc rust

WebAssembly: Low-Level Assembly Language for Web Browsers

WebAssembly is a low-level assembly-like language that runs in web browsers. It allows developers to write code in languages like C/C++ and Rust and compile it to WebAssembly, which runs at near-native speed in the browser.

What is WebAssembly?

WebAssembly is a binary instruction format for the web. It allows developers to compile code written in languages like C/C++ and Rust into a binary format that can be executed in web browsers at near-native speed.

The key benefits of WebAssembly include:

  • Performance - WebAssembly executes at near-native speed, much faster than JavaScript
  • Portability - The same WebAssembly module can run across different browsers and platforms
  • Security - WebAssembly executes in a safe, sandboxed environment inside the browser
  • Compactness - The binary format of WebAssembly code is compact and fast to transmit
  • Interoperability - WebAssembly integrates smoothly with JavaScript code and the web platform

WebAssembly modules can perform computationally intensive tasks like games, 3D rendering, video/audio editing, simulations, and machine learning right inside web browsers. This eliminates the need for external plugins or installations and enables a wide range of new web applications.

Major browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge now ship with built-in support for WebAssembly. It is being adopted in web frameworks and libraries as a compilation target alongside JavaScript. WebAssembly has the potential to become a cross-browser way to deliver high performance web applications.

WebAssembly Features

Features

  1. Runs at near-native speed in browsers
  2. Allows code to be compiled from languages like C/C++ and Rust to WebAssembly
  3. Provides a compilation target that can run in browsers, servers, and stand-alone
  4. Designed as a portable target for compilation of high-performance languages

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Fast performance

Runs untrusted code safely

Portable

Integrates well with JavaScript

Cons

Still a new technology

Limited debugging support

Requires compilation step


The Best WebAssembly Alternatives

Top Development and Web Development and other similar apps like WebAssembly

Here are some alternatives to WebAssembly:

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JavaScript

JavaScript is a lightweight, interpreted programming language with first-class functions that allows you to implement complex features on web pages. When JavaScript runs in a browser, it can:Access and modify a web page's content and markupRespond to user actionsCommunicate asynchronously using callback functionsAlter a web page's stylingAnimate page elementsJavaScript has...
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