WebAssembly
WebAssembly (Wasm) is a low-level binary instruction format designed as a portable compilation target for high-level languages like C, C++, and Rust, enabling them to run on the web at near-native speed. It provides a safe, sandboxed execution environment that integrates with JavaScript and web APIs, allowing developers to build performance-critical applications such as games, video editing, and scientific simulations directly in browsers. Wasm is supported by all major browsers and can also run in non-web environments like servers and edge devices.
Developers should learn WebAssembly when they need to run computationally intensive tasks in the browser, such as 3D graphics, audio processing, or complex algorithms, where JavaScript performance is insufficient. It is particularly useful for porting existing codebases written in languages like C++ to the web without rewriting them in JavaScript, enabling reuse of libraries and tools. Additionally, Wasm is valuable for building cross-platform applications that require consistent performance across different devices and operating systems.