WebAssembly on the Server — Not Just for Browsers

If WASM+WASI existed in 2008, we wouldn’t have needed Docker — Solomon Hykes. Cold start in microseconds and sub-megabyte image size.

WASI¶

WebAssembly System Interface — capability-based security. Module explicitly declares what it needs.

Why Wasm on the Server¶

• Cold start: Microseconds vs seconds
• Sandboxing: Stronger than containers
• Size: Hundreds of KB vs hundreds of MB
• Polyglot: Rust, Go, C/C++, Python

Where It Makes Sense¶

Edge computing: Cloudflare Workers. Plugin systems: Sandboxed runtime. AI inference: WASI-NN on edge.

Wasm is Sleeper Technology¶

For edge computing and ultra-lightweight serverless, it’s the most promising technology. Mainstream in 2-3 years.