Learn WebAssembly: Build web applications with native performance using Wasm and C/C++

by Mike Rourke

Overview

In the first definitive guide on WebAssembly, you'll learn how you can wield this new technology to break through the current barriers of web development and build an entirely new class of performant applications .

Key Features

• Generate WebAssembly modules from C and C++ using Emscripten and interact with these modules in the browser
  
  


• Learn how to use WebAssembly outside of the browser and load modules using Node.js
  
  


• Build a high-performance application using C and WebAssembly and port an existing C++ game to WebAssembly using Emscripten
  
  

Book Description

WebAssembly is a brand-new technology that represents a paradigm shift in web development. This book teaches programmers to leverage this technology to write high-performance applications that run in the browser. This book introduces you to powerful WebAssembly concepts to help you write lean and powerful web applications with native performance. You start with the evolution of web programming, the state of things today, and what can be done with the advent and release of WebAssembly. We take a look at the journey from JavaScript to asm.js to WebAssembly. We then move on to analyze the anatomy of a WebAssembly module and the relationship between binary and text formats, along with the corresponding JavaScript API. Further on, you'll implement all the techniques you've learned to build a high-performance application using C and WebAssembly, and then port an existing game written in C++ to WebAssembly using Emscripten. By the end of this book, you will be well-equipped to create high-performance applications and games for the web using WebAssembly.

What you will learn

• Learn how WebAssembly came to be and its associated elements (text format, module, and JavaScript API)
  
  


• Create, load, and debug a WebAssembly module (editor and compiler/toolchain)
  
  


• Build a high-performance application using C and WebAssembly
  
  


• Extend WebAssembly's feature set using Emscripten by porting a game written in C++
  
  


• Explore upcoming features of WebAssembly, Node.js integration, and alternative compilation methods
  
  

Who this book is for

If you are a web developer or C/C++ programmer keen to leverage the powerful technology of WebAssembly to build high-performance web applications, then this book is for you.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781788995467
Publisher:	Packt Publishing
Publication date:	09/25/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	328
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Mike Rourke has been writing code for over a decade. He got his start creating Microsoft Access applications using VBA and decided he wanted to work with JavaScript full-time after building a Mozilla Firefox extension. He has a B.S. in mechanical engineering technology and worked primarily in product design/manufacturing engineering roles before starting a career as a software engineer in 2017. Currently, he works for a Chicago-based consulting company and is focused primarily on frontend JavaScript development. When's he not writing code, he's out in the woods camping with his wolf brothers.
Mike Rourke is a software engineer based in Chicago and works primarily with web technologies and the Node.js ecosystem. He has been writing code for over 10 years. Mike started out writing VB and switched to JavaScript about 2 years ago. He loves all aspects of programming and spends most of his free time learning new technologies and improving his skills.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

1. What is WebAssembly?
2. Elements ofWebAssembly – Wat, Wasm, and the JavaScript API
3. Development Workflow, Tooling, and Configuration
4. Installing the Required Dependencies
5. Creating and Loading aWebAssembly Module
6. Interacting with JavaScript and Debugging
7. Creating an Application from Scratch
8. Porting a Game with Emscripten
9. Integrating with Node.js
10. Advanced Tools and Upcoming Features