WebAssembly ports put desktop-class tools in the browser

WebAssembly has matured into a reliable compile target for bringing existing C, C++, and Rust codebases to the web. The result is a growing ecosystem of familiar development tools and libraries that now run entirely in the browser, with no server-side processing required. Here is a look at some of the notable projects currently available.

SQLite

A complete port of the SQLite relational database management system is available for browser use, enabling lightweight, embedded database functionality without a backend. The Chrome team has published a blog post detailing how the port works in conjunction with the Origin Private File System.

FFmpeg.wasm

FFmpeg, the widely used suite for handling video, audio, and other multimedia streams, has been compiled to WebAssembly. This version allows developers to perform media processing tasks directly in the browser. The project is available through its own site and the code is hosted on GitHub.

Universal Scene Description (USD)

USD, the framework for 3D computer graphics data focused on collaboration and non-destructive editing, counts Pixar, Autodesk, and Nvidia among its backers. Web support is still early, but Autodesk has open-sourced a web-based USD viewer implementation, available for developers to explore.

CanvasKit

CanvasKit is Skia—the rendering engine behind Chrome and Android—compiled to WebAssembly. It exposes a simple JavaScript API that gives access to most of Skia’s functionality, including complex rendering, text shaping, animation, and inking. The package is available on npm, with a quickstart guide on the Skia site.

TensorFlow.js

TensorFlow.js brings TensorFlow’s machine learning capabilities to the browser with a JavaScript API. Performance is optimized under the hood through GPU and CPU acceleration, including SIMD optimizations. Tutorial and demo resources are available on the TensorFlow site.

OpenCV

The computer vision library OpenCV is available as an npm package, with additional build instructions for developers working with Emscripten. For those interested in how SIMD and threading improve these workloads, a Chrome Dev Summit talk covers those performance aspects in detail.

Cocos

The Cocos game engine, known for cross-platform development, now supports web export through WebAssembly. It joins a growing list of game engines with web targets. Developers can get started via the Cocos editor, and publishing instructions are available in the engine’s documentation.

What this means for the web platform

These projects show how WebAssembly is enabling new functionality to reach the web faster. Chrome has also established the Advanced Web Apps Fund, which offers financial support for developers working on projects that expand web capabilities for everyone.