Examples of different Wasm integration patterns

[humbletim]

(wip thoughts and some research notes)

WebAssembly (abbreviated Wasm) is a binary instruction format for a stack-based virtual machine. --https://webassembly.org

Wasm represents a low-level technology layer and in theory there are many ways to leverage it as part of a solution.

However, in practice a relatively small set of integration patterns seems to be emerging. Below I have started to gather some of those apparent patterns together in one place along with example projects to help document and demonstrate.

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Coincidental Wasm

Example: a JavaScript module or similar dependency that transparently makes use of Wasm "behind the scenes."

• google/draco - Draco is a library for compressing and decompressing 3D geometric meshes and point clouds.
• connor4312/blake3 - BLAKE3 hashing for JavaScript: native Node bindings (where available) and WebAssembly.

Sandbox Wasm

Example: Leveraging Wasm as a way to execute untrusted code.

• V-Sekai/WasGo - Sandboxed WASM user scripting engine for Godot Engine.

Seamless Wasm

Example: The "compile for web" strategy -- where an "entire" native application code base gets compiled to Wasm and deployed to the browser (often leveraging emscripten).

• DanRuta/webassembly-webgl-shaders - Demo project for using WebGL shaders in WebAssembly.
• Godot: Compiling for Web -- Game engine documentation.
• UnrealEngineHTML5 -- Unreal Engine Platform Extension.

Vernacular Wasm

Example: Entire API dialects and communities pivoting around Wasm.

• WASI - WebAssembly System Interface.
  • wapm - WebAssembly Package Manager
• WASM-4 Console - WASM-4 is a low-level fantasy game console for building small games with WebAssembly.
• wasmCloud -- "wasmCloud is a distributed platform for writing portable business logic that can run anywhere..."

[humbletim]

... ongoing questions:

• Are these high level groupings helpful?
• Other relevant examples to include?
• Other emerging Wasm patterns to consider?