WebAssembly: From the Browser to... Everywhere? - Matt Butcher, Fermyon
Channel: The Linux Foundation
Date: 2023-05-25

WebAssembly: From the Browser to... Everywhere? - Matt Butcher, Fermyon

WebAssembly (Wasm) started as a browser technology. But like many successful technologies before, it has outgrown its origin. In this talk, we’ll look at the four big domains where WebAssembly is taking off.

The first is the browser. And while this is perhaps an obvious candidate, it is also the source of some inspiring work. Next is IoT and embedded. WebAssembly’s runtime profile is great for constrained devices. WebAssembly is a great technology for plugins and extensions as well. And I happen to be most excited about the fourth domain: cloud and edge.

The open source world behind Wasm is booming. Most of the top 20 languages now support WebAssembly. There are nearly a dozen WebAssembly runtime implementations. And even the standards bodies are vibrant with activity. We’ll look at how this tooling is shaping the direction of the Wasm ecosystem in its various domains.

We’ll finish with a look into the future. What’s coming next? And how quickly can we expect Wasm to become an every-day technology?