Understanding WebAssembly: The Future Of Web Performance published 9/10/2023 | 4 min read

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The world of web development is constantly evolving, with new technologies continually emerging to improve the way we build and deliver web applications. One such technology that promises to revolutionize the web is WebAssembly (Wasm). This post aims to give you an in-depth look at what WebAssembly is, why it's important, and how to use it to boost your web app's performance.

What is WebAssembly?

WebAssembly, also known as Wasm, is a new, low-level binary instruction format for the web. Unlike traditional JavaScript, which is a high-level language that needs to be parsed and compiled by the browser, WebAssembly gets delivered as a binary bytecode that the browser can run right away.

  
// Sample of JavaScript code
function factorial(n) {
  if (n === 0) {
    return 1;
  } else {
    return n * factorial(n - 1);
  }
}


  
;; Sample of WebAssembly equivalent
(module
  (func $factorial (param $n i32) (result i32)
    (if (result i32)
      (i32.eq (get_local $n) (i32.const 0))
      (then (i32.const 1))
      (else
        (i32.mul
          (get_local $n)
          (call $factorial
            (i32.sub
              (get_local $n)
              (i32.const 1))))))))

Moreover, WebAssembly is designed to operate at near-native performance, offering developers a powerful tool for optimizing performance-critical parts of their applications.



Why does WebAssembly Matter?

With the increasing complexity and demand for more performant applications, WebAssembly stands out by providing numerous benefits:

  1. Better Performance: Wasm's binary format enables faster parsing, compiling, and execution than JavaScript.
  2. Security: Wasm provides a sandboxed execution environment which mitigates many potential security issues.
  3. Multilingual Support: Developers can write in languages they're most comfortable with, like C++, Rust, and compile them to WebAssembly.

By leveraging these benefits, not only can developers build more performant applications, but they can also push the boundaries of what's possible on the web, from immersive VR experiences to complex gaming platforms.

Getting Started with WebAssembly

If you're keen to start using WebAssembly, most popular browsers now support it by default, and there are several tools and resources available to help you get started.

You can begin by installing Emscripten, a toolchain for compiling C and C++ code into WebAssembly. It also provides a loader that simplifies loading and running your Wasm modules from JavaScript.



Here's an example of how to compile C code into a Wasm module using Emscripten:

  
$ emcc hello.c -o hello.html

In this command, hello.c is the C source file, and hello.html is the generated file containing the Wasm module and a JavaScript loader for it.

You can serve this html file using any static server, navigate to the page in your browser, and see the results of your C program running in the browser.

##Summary

WebAssembly represents a significant leap forward in web technologies. It offers a way to write high-performance web applications using languages other than JavaScript. Getting started with WebAssembly can require some setup, but the potential payoffs of harnessing this technology are significant. Understanding and using WebAssembly can help you to develop more efficient, powerful, and reliable web applications.



Though Wasm isn't meant to completely replace JavaScript, it's a powerful tool in the web development toolbox. By understanding WebAssembly and its capabilities, you can make better decisions about when to use it in your projects and truly unlock the power of the web. Happy coding!



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