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Krisztián Sala

In this course you will learn what WebAssembly is, how can you use it and benefit from its capabilities.

This is a brand new technology which lets you to run your C/C++, Rust, AssemblyScript code (and many more to come) on the web by using assembly-like binary files.

You will learn:

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In this course you will learn what WebAssembly is, how can you use it and benefit from its capabilities.

This is a brand new technology which lets you to run your C/C++, Rust, AssemblyScript code (and many more to come) on the web by using assembly-like binary files.

You will learn:

  1. To compile your C/C++ code to the WebAssembly binary format (wasm) using online compilers, and after this, the Emscripten toolkit locally.

  2. The low-level building blocks of a WebAssembly module

  3. The WebAssembly Text Format (wat) and use it to solve complex problems

  4. How to use the Emscripten Module object and the generated glue code

  5. Call C/C++ functions from JavaScript and vice-versa

  6. Debug and launch the Emscripten web server

  7. Compile a Qt project to WebAssembly

If you want to be a part of the future of the web development, this is the best place for you to start. You will get to an advanced level of using the web assembly technology in no time.

It is recommended to have a basic understanding of Javascript and C/C++, but this course is beginner friendly, so it shouldn't be hard to understand for anybody. We will focus on both theory and practice to make sure you both understand the concepts and can apply them.

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What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Learn what is webassembly and why it is useful
  • How you can use it to speed up your web applications
  • Compile c/c++ code to create web assembly (wasm) modules
  • Use the powerful emscripten compiler for local compilations and more
  • Learn the low-level parts: memory and tables
  • Create advanced applications using the emscripten glue code
  • Understand and use the webassembly text format (wat)
  • Call c/c++ functions from javascript
  • Run javascript functions and expressions in c/c++
  • Debug the created webassembly modules

Syllabus

Introduction
Why you should watch this course
How to watch this course
You will learn what is WebAssembly, why it is needed, how it got created, its state today and future plans. We will also look into some use cases.
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Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Explores WebAssembly, which allows developers to run code written in languages like C/C++ and Rust in web browsers, potentially leading to significant performance gains
Teaches how to compile C/C++ code into WebAssembly modules, enabling the reuse of existing codebases for web development and opening up new possibilities for web-based applications
Covers the low-level building blocks of WebAssembly, such as memory, tables, and global variables, providing a deeper understanding of how WebAssembly modules function
Focuses on using Emscripten, a powerful toolchain for compiling C/C++ code to WebAssembly, and delves into the Emscripten Module object and generated glue code for complex operations
Includes a section on debugging WebAssembly modules, which is essential for identifying and resolving issues in WebAssembly code and ensuring the reliability of web applications
Demonstrates how to compile Qt projects to WebAssembly, allowing developers to create cross-platform applications that can run in web browsers, expanding the reach of Qt-based software

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Reviews summary

Webassembly fundamentals and c/c++ integration

According to learners, this course provides a solid foundation in WebAssembly, particularly focusing on integration with C/C++ via Emscripten. Students found the course content to be thorough and appreciated the practical examples and hands-on labs that help solidify understanding. The instructor is frequently praised for their clear explanations and expertise. While generally well-received for beginners in WebAssembly, some mention the course pace can be fast or that prior knowledge of C/C++ and JavaScript is highly beneficial, despite the description stating it's beginner-friendly.
Includes hands-on coding and practical examples.
"The hands-on coding and projects are the strongest part of the course for me."
"Lots of practical demos that showed exactly how things work in a real development environment."
"Being able to actually compile and run code alongside the lectures made a big difference in my learning."
"The exercises helped me apply the theory learned in the videos."
Instructor explains complex topics clearly.
"The instructor does a great job of explaining complex technical concepts in a clear and understandable way."
"I found the lectures easy to follow, even for topics I wasn't familiar with before."
"The explanations for the low-level details like WAT and memory were very helpful."
"Really appreciated the step-by-step approach used in the videos."
Strong emphasis on using Emscripten with C/C++.
"The sections on using Emscripten to compile C/C++ were particularly useful and well-explained."
"Lots of practical examples showing how to get C++ code running in the browser using the Emscripten toolchain."
"Learned a lot about the Emscripten Module object and the generated glue code, which is essential for real projects."
"The part about compiling a Qt project to WebAssembly with Emscripten was a great bonus."
Provides a strong base for WebAssembly concepts.
"This course gave me a really solid foundation in WebAssembly and how to integrate it with existing C++ projects."
"I now have a good understanding of the core concepts and building blocks thanks to this course's structure."
"Excellent introductory course to grasp the fundamentals of WebAssembly technology."
"Helped me understand the why and how of using WebAssembly, laying a good groundwork."
Some students felt the pace was too quick.
"Sometimes the pace felt a bit fast, especially when diving into the more technical details like WAT."
"Might need to pause and rewatch some lectures to fully grasp certain concepts."
"Felt a little rushed through some of the advanced topics."
"For someone completely new, the speed could be overwhelming at times."
Prior C/C++ and JavaScript knowledge helpful.
"Although it says beginner friendly, a basic understanding of C++ and JavaScript is definitely required to keep up."
"Coming in without strong C++ background might make some sections challenging."
"The course assumes some familiarity with web development concepts."
"Would recommend having some programming experience before taking this."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in WebAssembly Beginner to Advanced with these activities:
Review C/C++ Fundamentals
Strengthen your understanding of C/C++ fundamentals to better grasp how WebAssembly interacts with compiled code.
Browse courses on C++ Syntax
Show steps
  • Review data types, pointers, and memory management in C/C++.
  • Practice writing simple C/C++ programs.
Brush Up on JavaScript Basics
Reinforce your JavaScript knowledge to effectively interact with WebAssembly modules in a web environment.
Show steps
  • Review JavaScript syntax, data types, and functions.
  • Practice DOM manipulation and event handling.
WebAssembly: The Definitive Guide
Read this book to gain a deeper understanding of WebAssembly's architecture and capabilities.
Show steps
  • Read the book cover to cover.
  • Experiment with the code examples provided in the book.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Follow Emscripten Tutorials
Learn how to use Emscripten to compile C/C++ code to WebAssembly.
Show steps
  • Find and follow tutorials on the Emscripten website.
  • Experiment with different compilation flags and settings.
Experiment with WebAssembly Text Format (WAT)
Practice writing and understanding WAT code to gain a deeper understanding of WebAssembly's low-level structure.
Show steps
  • Write simple WAT modules by hand.
  • Convert between WAT and WASM formats using wabt.
Create a Simple Web Application with WebAssembly
Build a small web application that utilizes WebAssembly to perform a computationally intensive task.
Show steps
  • Choose a task suitable for WebAssembly, such as image processing or physics simulation.
  • Write the core logic in C/C++ and compile it to WebAssembly using Emscripten.
  • Integrate the WebAssembly module into a JavaScript-based web application.
Contribute to a WebAssembly Project
Contribute to an open-source WebAssembly project to gain practical experience and learn from others.
Show steps
  • Find an open-source WebAssembly project on GitHub or GitLab.
  • Identify a bug or feature to work on.
  • Submit a pull request with your changes.

Career center

Learners who complete WebAssembly Beginner to Advanced will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Web Application Developer
A web application developer designs, builds, and maintains web applications. This course focusing on WebAssembly helps developers build high-performance web applications by leveraging languages like C/C++ and Rust. Learning to compile C/C++ code to WebAssembly (wasm) modules and understanding the Emscripten compiler directly applies to optimizing web application performance. Moreover, the course helps developers create advanced applications using Emscripten glue code, and understand the WebAssembly Text Format. This knowledge is important for developers who want to improve user experience by making web applications faster and more efficient.
Game Developer
A game developer creates video games for various platforms, including web browsers. This course, by focusing on WebAssembly, allows game developers to bring high-performance games to the web. Compiling C/C++ code to WebAssembly ensures smooth gameplay and efficient resource utilization. The course helps game developers debug WebAssembly modules, which is crucial for identifying and resolving performance issues. The knowledge of WebAssembly Text Format (Wat) helps optimize game code at a low level, making it an invaluable tool for game development.
Software Engineer
A software engineer designs, develops, and maintains software systems. This course, which explores WebAssembly, enables software engineers to create efficient and high-performance software, especially for web-based applications. The ability to compile C/C++ code to WebAssembly and use the Emscripten compiler helps integrate existing codebases into web environments. The course may be useful for engineers looking to leverage WebAssembly to enhance the performance and capabilities of their web-based software applications.
Compiler Engineer
A compiler engineer is responsible for designing, developing, and optimizing compilers. This course on WebAssembly helps compiler engineers gain expertise in compiling code to WebAssembly, a crucial skill for modern web development. The course specifically addresses the Emscripten compiler and its use in compiling C/C++ code to WebAssembly. Understanding the low-level parts like memory and tables and the WebAssembly Text Format helps compiler engineers gain a better understanding of WebAssembly compilation processes. Therefore this course may be useful for those focusing on compiler technology.
embedded systems developer
An embedded systems developer designs and develops software for embedded systems, often in C/C++. This WebAssembly course may be useful in understanding how to leverage WebAssembly for embedded systems that require web-based interfaces or components. The ability to compile C/C++ code to WebAssembly and interface it with JavaScript code can be beneficial in creating web-based dashboards or control panels for embedded systems. This course also helps bridge the gap between low-level embedded code and high-level web applications, making it a valuable asset for embedded systems developers.
Web Security Specialist
A web security specialist focuses on identifying and mitigating security vulnerabilities in web applications. This course on WebAssembly may be useful in understanding the security implications of using WebAssembly in web applications. Understanding how WebAssembly modules interact with JavaScript and the browser environment helps security specialists identify potential attack vectors. Furthermore, knowledge of the low-level aspects of WebAssembly, such as memory management and table usage, are helpful when performing security audits and penetration testing of WebAssembly-based applications.
Browser Extension Developer
A browser extension developer creates extensions that add functionality to web browsers. This course on WebAssembly can be useful for developing high-performance browser extensions by leveraging languages like C/C++ and Rust. The ability to compile code to WebAssembly and integrate it with JavaScript helps extension developers create efficient and responsive extensions. Creating advanced applications using Emscripten glue code also allows extensions to perform complex tasks that may not be feasible with JavaScript alone.
Cross-Platform Developer
A cross platform developer aims to write code that works on multiple operating systems. This course will allow the developer to explore WebAssembly to help write code once that works in multiple browsers irrespective of operating system. They may find the section on compiling a Qt project with Emscripten of particular use, as Qt is a cross platform tool. Debugging WebAssembly will also be helpful.
Software Architect
A software architect is resonsible for making high level design choices when writing new software. This course looking at WebAssembly can add to their options when designing systems. The upcoming features of WebAssembly will be of particular interest, as well as use cases listed in the introduction. The architect will also want to know if performance can be improved. This course can help them make an informed decision.
Systems Programmer
A systems programmer is responsible for creating low level code that drives operating systems or hardware. This course which looks at WebAssembly may be useful to them. It allows them to perform system like level actitives but using web technologies. The section on Web Assembly text basics may be of great interest to them.
DevOps Engineer
A DevOps engineer manages infrastructure and automates software deployment. This course on WebAssembly may be useful to them. It assists in optimizing web application deployment and performance. Learning to compile C/C++ code to WebAssembly modules and understanding the Emscripten compiler directly applies to creating efficient deployment pipelines. The knowledge of debugging WebAssembly modules also helps in troubleshooting performance issues during deployment.
Database Administrator
A database administrator manages and maintains databases. This course on WebAssembly may be useful when dealing with web-based database interfaces. Integrating WebAssembly can enhance the performance of web-based database access. Learning to call C/C++ functions from JavaScript and vice-versa allows database administrators to create efficient data processing and visualization tools. The knowledge presented in this course may be useful when optimizing database interactions within web applications.
Technical Writer
A technical writer creates documentation for software and hardware. This course may be useful for technical writers who need to document WebAssembly-related technologies. Understanding what WebAssembly is, how it works, and its use cases is important for creating accurate and informative documentation. The detailed explanations of the Emscripten compiler, WebAssembly Text Format, and debugging WebAssembly modules helps technical writers produce comprehensive guides and tutorials.
Quality Assurance Engineer
A quality assurance engineer tests software to ensure it meets quality standards. This WebAssembly course may be useful in testing web applications that incorporate WebAssembly modules. Understanding how WebAssembly modules interact with JavaScript and the browser environment helps QA engineers create effective test cases. The ability to debug WebAssembly modules also facilitates in identifying and reporting performance issues and bugs.
Help Desk Technician
A help desk technician provides technical support to users. While direct application might be limited, this WebAssembly course may be useful to a technician who supports users encountering issues with web applications utilizing WebAssembly. Understanding the basics of WebAssembly and its common use cases helps the technician better troubleshoot and escalate issues related to WebAssembly-based applications. This basic understanding will allow for communication with developers.

Reading list

We've selected one books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in WebAssembly Beginner to Advanced.
Provides a comprehensive overview of WebAssembly, covering its architecture, instruction set, and use cases. It valuable resource for understanding the underlying principles of WebAssembly and its potential applications. This book is useful as a reference tool. It provides more depth to the existing course.

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