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Learn WebAssembly
Learn WebAssembly

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

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Learn WebAssembly

Elements of WebAssembly - Wat, Wasm, and the JavaScript API

Chapter 1, What is WebAssembly?, described the history of WebAssembly and provided a high-level overview of the technology as well as the potential use cases and limitations. WebAssembly was described as being composed of multiple elements, not just the binary instruction format specified in the official definition.

In this chapter, we will dig into the elements that correspond to the official specifications created by the WebAssembly Working Group. We will examine the Wat and the binary format in greater detail to gain a better understanding of how they relate to modules. We will review the JavaScript API and Web API to ensure you're able to utilize the WebAssembly effectively in the browser.

Our goal for this chapter is to understand the following:

  • How the text and binary formats are related
  • What Wat is and where...

Common structure and abstract syntax

In Chapter 1, What is WebAssembly?, we talked about how the binary and text formats of WebAssembly both map to a common structure in the form of an abstract syntax. Before getting into the nuts and bolts of these formats, it's worth mentioning how these are related within the Core Specification. The following diagram is a visual representation of the table of contents (with some sections excluded for clarity):

Core Specification table of contents

As you can see, the Text Format and Binary Format sections contain subsections for Values, Types, Instructions, and Modules that correlate with the Structure section. Consequently, much of what we cover in the next section for the text format have direct corollaries with the binary format. With that in mind, let's dive into the text format.

...

Wat

The Text Format section of the Core Specification provides technical descriptions for common language concepts such as values, types, and instructions. These are important concepts to know and understand if you're planning on building tooling for WebAssembly, but not necessary if you just plan on using it in your applications. That being said, the text format is an important part of WebAssembly, so there are concepts you should be aware of. In this section, we will dig into some of the details of the text format and highlight important points from the Core Specification.

Definitions and S-expressions

To understand Wat, let's start with the first sentence of the description taken directly from the WebAssembly...

Binary format and the module file (Wasm)

The Binary Format section of the Core Specification provides the same level of detail with regard to language concepts as the Text format section. In this section, we will briefly cover some high-level details about the binary format and discuss the various sections that make up a Wasm module.

Definition and module overview

The binary format is defined as a dense linear encoding of the abstract syntax. Without getting too technical, that essentially means it's an efficient form of binary that allows for fast decoding, small file size, and reduced memory usage. The file representation of the binary format is a .wasm file, which will be the compilation output from Emscripten...

The JavaScript and Web APIs

In addition to the WebAssembly Core Specification, there are two API specifications for interacting with WebAssembly modules: the WebAssembly JavaScript Interface (JavaScript API) and the WebAssembly Web API. In the previous sections, we covered pertinent aspects of the Core Specification to become familiar with the underlying technology. If you never read the Core Specification (or if you skipped the first few sections of this chapter), it wouldn't inhibit the use of WebAssembly in your application. That is not the case for the APIs, as they describe the methods and interface required to instantiate and interact with your compiled Wasm module. In this section, we will review the Web and JavaScript APIs and describe how to load and communicate with a Wasm module using JavaScript.

...

Connecting the dots with WasmFiddle

We spent this chapter reviewing the various elements of WebAssembly and the corresponding JavaScript and Web APIs, but understanding how the pieces fit together can still be confusing. As we progress through the examples in this book and you're able to see how C/C++, WebAssembly, and JavaScript interact, these concepts will become clearer.

That being said, a demonstration of this interaction may help in clearing up some of the confusion. In this section, we're going to use an online tool called WasmFiddle to demonstrate the relationship between these elements so you can see WebAssembly in action and get a high-level overview of the development workflow.

What is WasmFiddle?

WasmFiddle...

Summary

In this chapter, we discussed the elements of WebAssembly and their relationship. The structure of the Core Specification was used to describe the mapping of the text and binary formats to a common abstract syntax. We highlighted aspects of the text format (Wat) that can be useful in the context of debugging and development, as well as why s-expressions are an excellent fit for the textual representation of the abstract syntax. We also reviewed details pertaining to the binary format and the various elements that make up a module. The methods and objects within the JavaScript and Web APIs were defined with descriptions of their roles with regard to WebAssembly interaction. Finally, a simple example of the relationship between source code, Wat, and JavaScript was presented using the WasmFiddle tool. 

In Chapter 3Setting Up a Development Environment, we&apos...

Questions

  1. What kind of data are s-expressions good at representing?
  2. What are the four language concepts that are shared between the binary and text formats?
  3. What is one of the use cases for the text format?
  4. What is the only element type that can be stored in a WebAssembly Table?
  5. What does the JavaScript engine use to manage execution?
  6. Which method requires less code to instantiate a module, instantiate() or instantiateStreaming()?
  7. What error objects are available on the WebAssembly JavaScript object and what event causes each one?

Common structure and abstract syntax


In Chapter 1What is WebAssembly?, we talked about how the binary and text formats of WebAssembly both map to a common structure in the form of an abstract syntax. Before getting into the nuts and bolts of these formats, it's worth mentioning how these are related within the Core Specification. The following diagram is a visual representation of the table of contents (with some sections excluded for clarity):

Core Specification table of contents

 

As you can see, the Text Format and Binary Format sections contain subsections for Values, Types, Instructions, and Modules that correlate with the Structure section. Consequently, much of what we cover in the next section for the text format have direct corollaries with the binary format. With that in mind, let's dive into the text format.

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Key benefits

  • 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

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.

Who is this book 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.

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
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Table of Contents

11 Chapters
What is WebAssembly? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Elements of WebAssembly - Wat, Wasm, and the JavaScript API Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Setting Up a Development Environment Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Installing the Required Dependencies Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Creating and Loading a WebAssembly Module Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Interacting with JavaScript and Debugging Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Creating an Application from Scratch Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Porting a Game with Emscripten Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Integrating with Node.js Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Advanced Tools and Upcoming Features Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 2.3
(4 Ratings)
5 star 25%
4 star 0%
3 star 0%
2 star 25%
1 star 50%
Amazon Customer Dec 27, 2018
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
The information is very valuable and easier to follow than the website. It explains webassembly and how to use it.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Amazon Customer Dec 26, 2018
Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 2
An okay book to start with WebAssembly, however the quality of the book is horrible, especially at later chapters with code examples. While the idea/content could be salvaged, this book is in dire need of proof-reading and checking that their examples are valid.If you see it on sale for under 5$ - get it. Outside of that price range, you are better reading unofficial blog post with WebAssembly examples.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
MATHEUS JOSE SANTOS Jul 17, 2022
Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 1
Awful quality control from Pack from the printing process through distribution. Is it was two or three missing pages it would be understandable, but 72 pages is just BS.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Catherine Holloway Feb 13, 2020
Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 1
I was hoping to gain an understanding of how to write and compile a minimal "hello world" example with C code compiled to a wasm file, and how to load this file in the browser. I've read several tutorials online and none worked, so I figured I could trust pakt to deliver something to explain what the browser expects for WebAssembly.instantiate(). Unfortunately, this book suffers from exactly the same problem as all the tutorials. Emscripten has already moved on, and the example code in this book is out of date. The author writes clearly and explains the basic concepts well, but it's not what I needed. This book was a waste of my time.
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