WebAssembly: Yes, but for What?

WebAssembly (Wasm) has proven effective for porting large C and C++ desktop applications to the Web and embedding components such as file handlers, per-pixel processors, and libraries like SQLite. Its strengths lie in use cases that require strong isolation between program components, such as browse...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Communications of the ACM Vol. 68; no. 11; pp. 50 - 55
Autor principal: Wingo, Andy
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Association for Computing Machinery Nov2025
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:WebAssembly (Wasm) has proven effective for porting large C and C++ desktop applications to the Web and embedding components such as file handlers, per-pixel processors, and libraries like SQLite. Its strengths lie in use cases that require strong isolation between program components, such as browser plug-ins, virtualization, or security-critical software, while traditional web languages like JavaScript and TypeScript remain better suited for user-facing interfaces. Wasm also shows promise in cloud and confidential computing due to its fast cold-start characteristics, minimal abstraction overhead, and robust memory-safety guarantees, suggesting potential applications in operating-system drivers, isolated modules, or artificial intelligence tasks that handle sensitive data. Overall, the platform’s pattern of success points to environments where isolation, security, and controlled execution are prioritized.