WebAssembly has evolved significantly since its introduction in 2017, moving far beyond its original web-centric design. According to the State of WebAssembly 2023 report, while 58% of developers use WebAssembly for web applications, it has also found its way into diverse applications including data visualization (35%), IoT devices (32%), artificial intelligence (30%), and gaming (28%). The significance of WebAssembly in the developer ecosystem continues to grow, offering compelling reasons for both seasoned developers and newcomers to embrace this technology.
Let's have a look at some of the reasons why you should invest time in learning WebAssembly.
Performance is one of the primary reasons to learn WebAssembly, but it's important to understand where these performance benefits actually come from. Modern JavaScript engines are incredibly sophisticated - they use advanced optimizations like JIT compilation and inline caching to execute JavaScript code very efficiently. However, WebAssembly still offers two major performance advantages.
First, WebAssembly modules can start executing faster because they arrive pre-compiled. While JavaScript needs to be parsed, compiled and optimized at runtime, WebAssembly's binary format allows for much faster startup times. This can significantly improve the initial load performance of web applications, especially on mobile devices with limited processing power.
Second, for computationally intensive tasks like image processing, physics simulations, or complex mathematical calculations, WebAssembly's type system and low-level control allow it to achieve more predictable, near-native performance. This is further enhanced by support for SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data) operations, enabling parallel processing of data. While optimized JavaScript can sometimes match WebAssembly's raw execution speed, WebAssembly maintains consistent performance without the warmup time needed for JavaScript's JIT optimizations to kick in.
We'll talk a bit more about performance in What is WebAssembly Not and clear up some myths about WebAssembly's performance.
One of WebAssembly's most powerful features is its ability to transcend traditional web development boundaries. Developers are no longer confined to JavaScript for web applications. Whether you use C++, Rust, or another native language, WebAssembly serves as a bridge, opening the door to using these languages to write client-side logic. This versatility not only enhances development possibilities but also enables teams to leverage existing codebases effectively.
WebAssembly has grown far beyond its browser roots. While it started as a web technology, it's now being used in many other contexts. For example, as mentioned above, WebAssembly is becoming increasingly popular for serverless computing and edge computing. Its sandboxed execution model and fast startup times make it ideal for running untrusted code safely at the edge. Companies like Fastly and Cloudflare use WebAssembly to let developers run custom code on their edge networks.
WebAssembly is also gaining traction in desktop and mobile applications through runtimes like Wasmtime or Wasmer. These runtimes allow WebAssembly modules to run natively on any platform, making it possible to write truly cross-platform applications. This "write once, run anywhere" capability is particularly valuable for companies looking to unify their codebases across different platforms.
The WebAssembly System Interface (WASI) is further expanding these possibilities by providing a standardized way for WebAssembly to interact with system resources. This means WebAssembly code can now handle file I/O, networking, and other system-level operations in a secure and portable way.
Security is a significant concern in modern software development, and WebAssembly takes it seriously with its robust security model. By running code in a sandboxed environment and enforcing strict type checking and memory safety, WebAssembly provides strong security guarantees that make it ideal for enterprise applications where protecting sensitive data is critical and to eliminate an entire class of bugs.
WebAssembly continues to grow and improve. The tools are getting better, and it's being used in more areas like AI and edge computing. Learning WebAssembly now can help you stay current as a developer and prepare for future opportunities.