## 6 Key Challenges and Future Directions
### Challenges in IoT Integration with WebAssembly  
* **IoT Device Garbage Collection** Garbage collection is a critical feature in many programming languages, helping to manage memory automatically by detecting and freeing up memory that is no longer needed and thereby reducing the risk of memory leaks. While JavaScript has built-in garbage collection, Wasm currently lacks this feature. However, there is a promising proposal on the horizon to introduce garbage collection to Wasm, which could have significant implications for its application in IoT contexts. The proposal for garbage collection in Wasm aims to offer the same level of memory management that high-level languages such as JavaScript, Python, and Ruby provide, with the goal of enabling these and other languages to target Wasm more efficiently. The integration of garbage collection into Wasm could vastly simplify the development process, improve performance, and make Wasm a more attractive and feasible choice for a wider range of applications, including IoT. By enabling managed languages to compile to Wasm efficiently, it would become much easier to port existing libraries, tools, and applications to run in the Wasm environment without the need for complex workarounds or compromises. This could lead to a significant increase in the ecosystem of available software and libraries, which would in turn boost the utility and versatility of Wasm. Moreover, the addition of garbage collection could reduce the size of Wasm modules by allowing them to leverage the host environment's garbage collector instead of having to include their own memory management code. This would make the modules more lightweight and faster to load, which is an important consideration in the bandwidth-constrained environments typical of IoT. However, introducing garbage collection into Wasm is a complex task, and there are several challenges that need to be addressed. For example, there needs to be a balance between the increased overhead of garbage collection and its benefits. In addition, it is important to ensure that the garbage collector is efficient and does not introduce significant performance overhead. Overall, the proposal of garbage collection for Wasm represents an exciting direction for the future. The successful implementation of this feature could unlock a new level of functionality and efficiency, paving the way for a broader application of Wasmin IoT and other domains. As such, it will be crucial to monitor the progress of this proposal and its potential impact on the Wasm ecosystem. * **Enhancing the WebAssembly Ecosystem*
* Efforts are ongoing to further develop and refine the tooling and libraries around Wasm with the aim of addressing current challenges and making the technology more approachable and easier to use. A robust and well-supported ecosystem is vital for the success and wider adoption of any technology. As of now, the Wasm ecosystem is burgeoning, propelled by its promising capabilities and the support of industry stalwarts such as Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, and Apple. However, there is much to be done in order to fully realize its potential, especially in the IoT domain. Here, we discuss key future directions for enhancing the Wasm ecosystem. * **Improved Tooling*
* Improving the toolchain is crucial for the broader adoption of Wasm. This includes refining existing tools and developing new ones that cater specifically to the needs of Wasm developers. For example, creating user-friendly debuggers, profilers, and performance analyzers designed for Wasm can significantly ease the development process and foster its adoption. * **Broadening Language Support*
* While Wasm currently supports a variety of languages, broadening this support is essential. Efforts should be aimed at making the compilation to Wasm seamless and efficient for a wider array of languages. This would enable developers of different backgrounds and expertise to leverage the benefits of Wasm, promoting its use in diverse applications, including IoT.