WebAssembly: The Next Frontier of Cloud Computing

Why did Docker's creator say he wouldn't have built it if WebAssembly existed? Discover the future of cloud-native runtimes beyond containers.

#1about 2 minutes

Why the creator of Docker is interested in WebAssembly

A quote from Docker's creator, Solomon Hykes, reveals WebAssembly's potential to replace container technology in cloud environments.

#2about 4 minutes

Understanding WebAssembly through the history of abstraction

WebAssembly is presented as the next logical step in hardware abstraction, following virtual machines, containers, and serverless functions.

#3about 3 minutes

The core components of the WebAssembly ecosystem

WebAssembly operates using three main parts: a compiler for source code, a compact binary format, and a runtime to execute the code.

#4about 5 minutes

Demonstrating Wasm with Rust and the WASI interface

Practical examples show how to compile Rust code into Wasm modules for both Node.js and browser environments, followed by an introduction to the WASI standard for secure system access.

#5about 4 minutes

Key features and concepts of WebAssembly modules

WebAssembly provides performance, portability, and security through features like a sandboxed linear memory model and a component model for interoperability between modules.

#6about 3 minutes

Running WebAssembly workloads in cloud environments

Cloud platforms like Fermyon and Cloudflare now offer serverless runtimes for deploying efficient and scalable WebAssembly modules.

#7about 6 minutes

Integrating WebAssembly with Docker and Kubernetes

WebAssembly modules can be run alongside traditional containers in Docker and Kubernetes by using containerd shims and custom runtime classes.

#8about 3 minutes

Navigating the WebAssembly ecosystem and community

The WebAssembly landscape is shaped by key organizations like the W3C for core specs, the Bytecode Alliance for tooling, and the CNCF for cloud-native projects.

#9about 2 minutes

Current use cases and the future of WebAssembly

While web applications currently dominate, serverless and cloud use cases for WebAssembly are growing, pointing to its future as a key cloud-native technology.