Alessandro Vozza - Introduction to WebAssembly: from browser-based to server-side

Abstract

This comprehensive talk will provide you with a thorough introduction to WebAssembly (WASM), equipping you with the essential knowledge to embark on your own journey into this exciting and rapidly evolving field of computing. We’ll explore the myriad features that have made WASM the latest technological sensation, covering its applications from browser-based environments to server-side implementations.

We’ll begin with an in-depth overview of WebAssembly, delving into its core concepts, design principles, and the problems it aims to solve in modern web development and beyond. You’ll gain insights into WASM’s unique approach to performance, security, and cross-platform compatibility.

Next, we’ll survey the burgeoning ecosystem surrounding WebAssembly. This includes an exploration of various tools, frameworks, and libraries that have emerged to support WASM development. We’ll discuss popular languages that compile to WebAssembly, such as Rust and C++, and examine how they integrate with existing web technologies.

The latter half of the talk will focus on practical applications and real-world examples. We’ll dive into hands-on demonstrations using cutting-edge technologies like wasmCloud and spinKube. These powerful tools showcase how WebAssembly is revolutionizing cloud computing and containerized environments. With wasmCloud, we’ll explore how WASM modules can be deployed and managed in cloud-native architectures, highlighting the benefits of portability and efficiency. The spinKube demo will illustrate the seamless integration of WebAssembly workloads within Kubernetes clusters, demonstrating how this technology can enhance and optimize container orchestration.

By the end of this talk, you’ll have a solid foundation in WebAssembly, understanding its potential to reshape not only web development but also cloud computing, edge computing, and beyond. You’ll be well-prepared to start experimenting with WASM in your own projects and to keep pace with this transformative technology as it continues to evolve and expand its reach in the computing world.

Biography

Community leader and CNCF ambassador, Alessandro has spent the last few years building cloud native infrastructures for Microsoft customers, animating the Dutch community, and training others to pass the CKx exams. He has passion for all things cloud native, he’s been around open source for 25 years and recently started building a new concept around namespace-as-a-service called Kubespaces.io.

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