Company offers an embeddable WebAssembly runtime for multiple programming languages along with a package manager Credit: Thinkstock Developers at Wasmer are betting big on WebAssembly, building a runtime intended to do for WebAssembly what Node.js did for JavaScript – establish it server-side. The company also has set its sights on a package manager for WebAssembly binaries. The Wasmer runtime is intended to make WebAssembly a universal target for compilation by allowing developers to use WebAssembly “anywhere,” similar to the JVM, which provides a portable execution environment for Java applications. Introduced in December 2018 and offered under an MIT license, Wasmer is a standalone just-in-time runtime, positioned to be compatible with WASI (WebAssembly System Interface) and the Emscripten compiler for asm.js and WebAssembly. Wasmer can execute the standard binary format, .wasm files, and the text format defined by the WebAssembly reference interpreter, .wat files. Wasmer can run WebAssembly modules, including standalone programs with a CLI or other interface, or universal libraries, which are built to be used from any language. These include libraries such as GraphQL. Wasmer can be embedded in the following languages: C/C++ Go PHP Python Ruby Rust Wasmer CEO Syrus Akbary expects WebAssembly to gain wide adoption, and aims to build the next generation of application-based containers based on WebAssembly, with fast startup time and small application size. These are intended to power edge computing platforms. Wasmer also has built Wapm, or WebAssembly Package Manager. Similar to what NPM does in the JavaScript world, Wapm is intended to host WebAssembly modules including binaries and universal libraries. Wasmer recently rolled out WebAssembly Interfaces, which permit static checks on modules to ensure they will run and stay compatible with a given API. WebAssembly Interfaces allow plug-in ecosystems to be distributed and used safely in Wapm. Interfaces can be defined for use in building Wasmer platform plug-ins. Where to download Wasmer You can download Wasmer and the Wapm CLI from GitHub. Related content analysis Beyond the usual suspects: 5 fresh data science tools to try today The mid-month report includes quick tips for easier Python installation, a new VS Code-like IDE just for Python and R users, and five newer data science tools you won't want to miss. By Serdar Yegulalp Jul 12, 2024 2 mins Python Programming Languages Software Development analysis Generative AI won’t fix cloud migration You’ve probably heard how generative AI will solve all cloud migration problems. It’s not that simple. Generative AI could actually make it harder and more costly. By David Linthicum Jul 12, 2024 5 mins Generative AI Artificial Intelligence Cloud Computing news HR professionals trust AI recommendations HireVue survey finds 73% of HR professionals trust AI to make candidate recommendations, while 75% of workers are opposed to AI making hiring decisions. By Paul Krill Jul 11, 2024 3 mins Technology Industry Careers how-to Safety off: Programming in Rust with `unsafe` What does it mean to write unsafe code in Rust, and what can you do (and not do) with the 'unsafe' keyword? The facts may surprise you. By Serdar Yegulalp Jul 11, 2024 8 mins Rust Programming Languages Software Development Resources Videos