Context

WebAssembly (WASM) is a compact binary compilation target for the web. Languages such as C, C++, Rust, and Go can compile to it and run in the browser with a predictable performance profile. Every major browser ships it.

Where it helps

WASM is a fit when a large existing native codebase needs to run in the browser, or when a hot path is too expensive in JavaScript. Public examples from that period include Figma, parts of Photoshop on the web, and AutoCAD's browser client. The value is reuse of battle-tested native code plus a tighter execution model than JavaScript for those paths.

Outside the browser, the same binary format showed up in plugin sandboxes and edge runtimes. The common theme is isolation plus near-native speed, not a replacement for HTML and JavaScript as the application shell.

Trade-offs

WASM does not replace the DOM. Talking to the page still goes through JavaScript. Tooling in 2023 was usable (source maps, breakpoints in DevTools) but heavier than a normal JS loop.

Security is a sandbox, not a guarantee. Native bugs can still ship inside the module. You still review the code you compile and the APIs you expose to it.

At the time of writing, garbage-collected languages still had to ship their own GC inside the binary. Browser WASM GC has since landed in the engines. Treat the "early stage" take from 2023 as dated on that one point.

What I take from it

Use WASM when you have a concrete performance or portability reason. Keep the application shell in the web platform you already operate. Measure the hot path before you rewrite it.