| WebAssembly |
| =========== |
| :toc: |
| :toc-title: |
| :toclevels: 2 |
| :icons: |
| |
| |
| # Introduction |
| |
| Go 1.11 added an experimental port to WebAssembly. Go 1.12 has |
| improved some parts of it, with further improvements expected in Go |
| 1.13. Go 1.21 added a new port targeting the WASI syscall API. |
| |
| WebAssembly is described on its https://webassembly.org[home page] as: |
| |
| > WebAssembly (abbreviated _Wasm_) is a binary instruction format for |
| > a stack-based virtual machine. Wasm is designed as a portable |
| > target for compilation of high-level languages like C/C++/Rust, |
| > enabling deployment on the web for client and server applications. |
| |
| ********************************************************************** |
| If you're new to WebAssembly read the https://github.com/golang/go/wiki/WebAssembly#getting-started[Getting Started] section, watch some of the https://github.com/golang/go/wiki/WebAssembly#go-webassembly-talks[Go WebAssembly talks], |
| then take a look at the https://github.com/golang/go/wiki/WebAssembly#further-examples[Further examples] below. |
| ********************************************************************** |
| |
| |
| # Getting Started (JS) |
| |
| This page assumes a functional Go 1.11 or newer installation. For |
| troubleshooting, see the https://github.com/golang/go/wiki/InstallTroubleshooting[Install Troubleshooting] |
| page. |
| |
| > If you are on Windows, we suggest to follow this tutorial using a BASH emulation system such as Git Bash. |
| |
| To compile a basic Go package for the web: |
| |
| ```go |
| package main |
| |
| import "fmt" |
| |
| func main() { |
| fmt.Println("Hello, WebAssembly!") |
| } |
| ``` |
| |
| Set `GOOS=js` and `GOARCH=wasm` environment variables to compile |
| for WebAssembly: |
| |
| ```sh |
| $ GOOS=js GOARCH=wasm go build -o main.wasm |
| ``` |
| |
| That will build the package and produce an executable WebAssembly |
| module file named main.wasm. The .wasm file extension will make it |
| easier to serve it over HTTP with the correct Content-Type header |
| later on. |
| |
| Note that you can only compile main packages. Otherwise, you will get an object file that cannot be run in WebAssembly. If you have a package that you want to be able to use with WebAssembly, convert it to a main package and build a binary. |
| |
| To execute main.wasm in a browser, we'll also need a JavaScript |
| support file, and a HTML page to connect everything together. |
| |
| Copy the JavaScript support file: |
| |
| ```sh |
| cp "$(go env GOROOT)/misc/wasm/wasm_exec.js" . |
| ``` |
| |
| Create an `index.html` file: |
| |
| ```HTML |
| <html> |
| <head> |
| <meta charset="utf-8"/> |
| <script src="wasm_exec.js"></script> |
| <script> |
| const go = new Go(); |
| WebAssembly.instantiateStreaming(fetch("main.wasm"), go.importObject).then((result) => { |
| go.run(result.instance); |
| }); |
| </script> |
| </head> |
| <body></body> |
| </html> |
| ``` |
| |
| If your browser doesn't yet support `WebAssembly.instantiateStreaming`, |
| you can use a https://github.com/golang/go/blob/b2fcfc1a50fbd46556f7075f7f1fbf600b5c9e5d/misc/wasm/wasm_exec.html#L17-L22[polyfill]. |
| |
| Then serve the three files (`index.html`, `wasm_exec.js`, and |
| `main.wasm`) from a web server. For example, with |
| https://github.com/shurcooL/goexec#goexec[`goexec`]: |
| |
| ```sh |
| # install goexec: go install github.com/shurcooL/goexec |
| goexec 'http.ListenAndServe(`:8080`, http.FileServer(http.Dir(`.`)))' |
| ``` |
| |
| Or use your own https://play.golang.org/p/pZ1f5pICVbV[basic HTTP server command]. |
| |
| Note: The same major Go version of the compiler and `wasm_exec.js` support file must be used together. That is, if `main.wasm` file is compiled using Go version 1.N, the corresponding `wasm_exec.js` file must also be copied from Go version 1.N. Other combinations are not supported. |
| |
| Note: for the `goexec` command to work on Unix-like systems, you must https://go.dev/doc/install#tarball[add the path environment variable] for Go to your shell's `profile`. Go's getting started guide explains this: |
| |
| > Add /usr/local/go/bin to the PATH environment variable. You can do this by adding this line to your /etc/profile (for a system-wide installation) or $HOME/.profile: |
| |
| > `export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin` |
| |
| > Note: changes made to a profile file may not apply until the next time you log into your computer |
| |
| Finally, navigate to http://localhost:8080/index.html, open the |
| JavaScript debug console, and you should see the output. You can |
| modify the program, rebuild `main.wasm`, and refresh to see new |
| output. |
| |
| # Getting Started (WASI) |
| |
| Go 1.21 introduced WASI as a supported platform. To build for WASI, use the `wasip1` port: |
| |
| ```sh |
| $ GOOS=wasip1 GOARCH=wasm go build -o main.wasm |
| ``` |
| |
| The official blog has a helpful introduction to using the WASI port: https://go.dev/blog/wasi. |
| |
| # Executing WebAssembly with Node.js |
| |
| It's possible to execute compiled WebAssembly modules using Node.js |
| rather than a browser, which can be useful for testing and automation. |
| |
| First, make sure Node is installed and in your `PATH`. |
| |
| Then, add `$(go env GOROOT)/misc/wasm` to your `PATH`. |
| This will allow `go run` and `go test` find `go_js_wasm_exec` in a `PATH` search |
| and use it to just work for `js/wasm`: |
| |
| ```console |
| $ export PATH="$PATH:$(go env GOROOT)/misc/wasm" |
| $ GOOS=js GOARCH=wasm go run . |
| Hello, WebAssembly! |
| $ GOOS=js GOARCH=wasm go test |
| PASS |
| ok example.org/my/pkg 0.800s |
| ``` |
| |
| If you're running working on Go itself, this will also allow you to run `run.bash` |
| seamlessly. |
| |
| `go_js_wasm_exec` is a wrapper that allows running Go Wasm binaries in Node. By default, |
| it may be found in the `misc/wasm` directory of your Go installation. |
| |
| If you'd rather not add anything to your `PATH`, you may also set the `-exec` flag to |
| the location of `go_js_wasm_exec` when you execute `go run` or `go test` manually. |
| |
| ```console |
| $ GOOS=js GOARCH=wasm go run -exec="$(go env GOROOT)/misc/wasm/go_js_wasm_exec" . |
| Hello, WebAssembly! |
| $ GOOS=js GOARCH=wasm go test -exec="$(go env GOROOT)/misc/wasm/go_js_wasm_exec" |
| PASS |
| ok example.org/my/pkg 0.800s |
| ``` |
| |
| Finally, the wrapper may also be used to directly execute a Go Wasm binary: |
| |
| ```console |
| $ GOOS=js GOARCH=wasm go build -o mybin . |
| $ $(go env GOROOT)/misc/wasm/go_js_wasm_exec ./mybin |
| Hello, WebAssembly! |
| $ GOOS=js GOARCH=wasm go test -c |
| $ $(go env GOROOT)/misc/wasm/go_js_wasm_exec ./pkg.test |
| PASS |
| ok example.org/my/pkg 0.800s |
| ``` |
| |
| ## Running tests in the browser |
| |
| You can also use https://github.com/agnivade/wasmbrowsertest[wasmbrowsertest] to run tests inside your browser. It automates the job of spinning up a webserver and uses headless Chrome to run the tests inside it and relays the logs to your console. |
| |
| Same as before, just `go get github.com/agnivade/wasmbrowsertest` to get a binary. Rename that to `go_js_wasm_exec` and place it to your `PATH` |
| |
| ```console |
| $ mv $GOPATH/bin/wasmbrowsertest $GOPATH/bin/go_js_wasm_exec |
| $ export PATH="$PATH:$GOPATH/bin" |
| $ GOOS=js GOARCH=wasm go test |
| PASS |
| ok example.org/my/pkg 0.800s |
| ``` |
| |
| Alternatively, use the `exec` test flag. |
| ```sh |
| GOOS=js GOARCH=wasm go test -exec="$GOPATH/bin/wasmbrowsertest" |
| ``` |
| |
| # Go WebAssembly talks |
| |
| * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kBvvk2Bzis[Building a Calculator with Go and WebAssembly] (https://tutorialedge.net/golang/go-webassembly-tutorial/[Source code]) |
| * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTrx0BbUXI4[Get Going with WebAssembly] |
| * https://talks.godoc.org/github.com/chai2010/awesome-go-zh/chai2010/chai2010-golang-wasm.slide[Go&WebAssembly简介 - by chai2010] (Chinese) |
| * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8lptDqPP-0[Go for frontend] |
| |
| # Interacting with the DOM |
| |
| See https://pkg.go.dev/syscall/js. |
| |
| Also: |
| |
| * https://github.com/maxence-charriere/app[`app`]: A PWA-compatible, React-based framework with custom tooling. |
| |
| * https://github.com/dennwc/dom[`dom`]: A library for streamlining DOM manipulation |
| is in development. |
| |
| * https://pkg.go.dev/honnef.co/go/js/dom/v2[`dom`]: Go bindings for the JavaScript DOM APIs. |
| |
| * https://github.com/reusee/domui[`domui`]: A pure Go framework for creating complete GUI application. |
| |
| * https://github.com/gascore/gas[`gas`]: Components based framework for WebAssembly applications. |
| |
| * https://github.com/bgokden/gowebian[GoWebian]: A library to build pages with pure Go and add WebAssembly bindings. |
| |
| * https://github.com/hexops/vecty[VECTY]: Build responsive and dynamic web frontends in Go using WebAssembly, competing with modern web frameworks like React & VueJS. |
| |
| * https://github.com/norunners/vert[`vert`]: WebAssembly interop between Go and JS values. |
| |
| * https://github.com/norunners/vue[`vue`]: The progressive framework for WebAssembly applications. |
| |
| * https://github.com/vugu/vugu[Vugu]: A wasm web UI library featuring HTML layout with Go for app logic, single-file components, rapid dev and prototyping workflow. |
| |
| * https://gowebapi.github.io/[`webapi`]: A binding generator and generated bindings for DOM, HTML, WebGL, and more. |
| |
| * https://github.com/littleroot/webgen[`webgen`]: Define components in HTML and generate Go types and constructor functions for them using https://github.com/gowebapi/webapi[`webapi`]. |
| |
| ## Canvas |
| |
| * A new https://github.com/markfarnan/go-canvas[canvas drawing library] - seems pretty efficient. |
| ** https://markfarnan.github.io/go-canvas/[Simple demo] |
| |
| # Configuring fetch options while using net/http |
| |
| You can use the net/http library to make HTTP requests from Go, and they will be converted to https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Fetch_API[fetch] calls. However, there isn't a direct mapping between the fetch https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/WindowOrWorkerGlobalScope/fetch#Parameters[options] and the http https://pkg.go.dev/net/http/#Client[client] options. To achieve this, we have some special header values that are recognized as fetch options. They are - |
| |
| - `js.fetch:mode`: An option to the Fetch API mode setting. Valid values are: "cors", "no-cors", "same-origin", navigate". The default is "same-origin". |
| |
| - `js.fetch:credentials`: An option to the Fetch API credentials setting. Valid values are: "omit", "same-origin", "include". The default is "same-origin". |
| |
| - `js.fetch:redirect`: An option to the Fetch API redirect setting. Valid values are: "follow", "error", "manual". The default is "follow". |
| |
| So as an example, if we want to set the mode as "cors" while making a request, it will be something like: |
| |
| ```go |
| req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", "http://localhost:8080", nil) |
| req.Header.Add("js.fetch:mode", "cors") |
| if err != nil { |
| fmt.Println(err) |
| return |
| } |
| resp, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req) |
| if err != nil { |
| fmt.Println(err) |
| return |
| } |
| defer resp.Body.Close() |
| // handle the response |
| ``` |
| |
| Please feel free to subscribe to https://github.com/golang/go/issues/26769[#26769] for more context and possibly newer information. |
| |
| # Editor configuration |
| |
| * https://github.com/golang/go/wiki/Configuring-GoLand-for-WebAssembly[Configuring GoLand and Intellij Ultimate for WebAssembly] - Shows the exact steps needed for getting Wasm working in GoLand and Intellij Ultimate |
| |
| |
| # WebAssembly in Chrome |
| |
| If you run a newer version of Chrome there is a flag (`chrome://flags/#enable-webassembly-baseline`) to enable Liftoff, their new compiler, which should significantly improve load times. Further info https://chinagdg.org/2018/08/liftoff-a-new-baseline-compiler-for-webassembly-in-v8/[here]. |
| |
| |
| # Debugging |
| |
| WebAssembly doesn't *yet* have any support for debuggers, so you'll |
| need to use the good 'ol `println()` approach for now to display |
| output on the JavaScript console. |
| |
| An official https://github.com/WebAssembly/debugging[WebAssembly Debugging Subgroup] |
| has been created to address this, with some initial investigation and |
| proposals under way: |
| |
| * https://fitzgen.github.io/wasm-debugging-capabilities/[WebAssembly Debugging Capabilities Living Standard] |
| (https://github.com/fitzgen/wasm-debugging-capabilities[source code for the doc]) |
| * https://yurydelendik.github.io/webassembly-dwarf/[DWARF for WebAssembly Target] |
| (https://github.com/yurydelendik/webassembly-dwarf/[source code for the doc]) |
| |
| Please get involved and help drive this if you're interested in the Debugger side of things. :smile: |
| |
| ## Analysing the structure of a WebAssembly file |
| |
| https://wasdk.github.io/wasmcodeexplorer/[WebAssembly Code Explorer] is useful for visualising the structure of a WebAssembly file. |
| |
| * Clicking on a hex value to the left will highlight the section it is part of, and the corresponding text representation on the right |
| * Clicking a line on the right will highlight the hex byte representations for it on the left |
| |
| # Known bug(s) |
| |
| Go releases prior to 1.11.2 https://github.com/golang/go/issues/27961[have a bug] which can generate incorrect wasm code in some (rare) circumstances. |
| |
| If your Go code compiles to wasm without problem, but produces an error like this when run in the browser: |
| |
| ``` |
| CompileError: wasm validation error: at offset 1269295: type mismatch: expression has type i64 but expected f64 |
| ``` |
| |
| Then you're probably hitting this error. |
| |
| The solution is to upgrade to Go 1.11.2 or later. |
| |
| |
| # Further examples |
| |
| ## General |
| * https://github.com/agnivade/shimmer[Shimmer] - Image transformation in wasm using Go. Live https://agniva.me/shimmer[DEMO]. |
| * https://wasm-webcam.herokuapp.com[Video filtering] - Filters for video from webcam (https://github.com/aarushik93/webcam-go[source code]) |
| * https://github.com/XD-DENG/handytools-go-webassembly[HandyTools] - Provide tools like |
| base64 encoding/decoding, convert Unix time, etc (live https://handytools.xd-deng.com/[DEMO]) |
| |
| ## Canvas (2D) |
| * https://github.com/stdiopt/gowasm-experiments[GoWasm Experiments] - Demonstrates |
| working code for several common call types |
| ** https://stdiopt.github.io/gowasm-experiments/bouncy[bouncy] |
| ** https://stdiopt.github.io/gowasm-experiments/rainbow-mouse[rainbow-mouse] |
| ** https://stdiopt.github.io/gowasm-experiments/repulsion[repulsion] |
| ** https://stdiopt.github.io/gowasm-experiments/bumpy[bumpy] - Uses the 2d canvas, and a 2d physics engine. Click around on the screen to create objects then watch as gravity takes hold! |
| ** https://stdiopt.github.io/gowasm-experiments/arty/client[arty] |
| ** https://stdiopt.github.io/gowasm-experiments/hexy[hexy] (**new**) |
| * https://github.com/djhworld/gomeboycolor-wasm[Gomeboycolor-wasm] |
| ** WASM port of an experimental Gameboy Color emulator. The https://djhworld.github.io/post/2018/09/21/i-ported-my-gameboy-color-emulator-to-webassembly/[matching blog post] |
| contains some interesting technical insights. |
| * https://justinclift.github.io/tinygo_canvas2/[TinyGo canvas] |
| ** This is compiled with https://tinygo.org[TinyGo] instead of standard go, resulting in a **19.37kB (compressed)** wasm file. |
| * https://car-and-mouse.web.app/[Car and Mouse] |
| ** A game where you gain points by leading a small canvas drawn car with your cursor |
| |
| ## Database |
| * https://github.com/pingcap/tidb/pull/13069[TiDB-Wasm] - Running TiDB, a golang database in the browser on Wasm. |
| |
| ## WebGL canvas (3D) |
| * https://bobcob7.github.io/wasm-basic-triangle/[Basic triangle] (https://github.com/bobcob7/wasm-basic-triangle[source code]) - Creates a basic triangle in WebGL |
| ** https://justinclift.github.io/tinygo-wasm-basic-triangle/[Same thing, ported to TinyGo] (https://github.com/justinclift/tinygo-wasm-basic-triangle[source code]) - ~14kB compressed (3% of the size of mainline Go version) |
| * https://bobcob7.github.io/wasm-rotating-cube/[Rotating cube] (https://github.com/bobcob7/wasm-rotating-cube[source code]) - Creates a rotating cube in WebGL |
| ** https://justinclift.github.io/tinygo-wasm-rotating-cube/[Same thing, ported to TinyGo] (https://github.com/justinclift/tinygo-wasm-rotating-cube[source code]) - ~23kB compressed (4% of the size of mainline Go version) |
| * https://stdiopt.github.io/gowasm-experiments/splashy[Splashy] (https://github.com/stdiopt/gowasm-experiments/tree/master/splashy[source code]) - Click around on the screen to generate paint... |
| |
| # Reducing the size of Wasm files |
| |
| At present, Go generates large Wasm files, with the smallest possible size being around ~2MB. If your Go code imports libraries, this file size can increase dramatically. 10MB+ is common. |
| |
| There are two main ways (for now) to reduce this file size: |
| |
| 1. Manually compress the .wasm file. |
| a. Using `gz` compression reduces the ~2MB (minimum file size) example WASM file down to around 500kB. It may be better to use https://github.com/google/zopfli[Zopfli] to do the gzip compression, as it gives better results than `gzip --best`, however it does take much longer to run. |
| b. Using https://github.com/google/brotli[Brotli] for compression, the file sizes are markedly better than both Zopfli and `gzip --best`, and compression time is somewhere in between the two, too. This https://github.com/andybalholm/brotli[(new) Brotli compressor] looks reasonable. |
| |
| Examples from https://github.com/johanbrandhorst[@johanbrandhorst] |
| |
| **Example 1** |
| [width="25%",cols="^m,e,e",frame="topbot",options="header"]] |
| |======= |
| | Size | Command | Compression time |
| |16M | (uncompressed size) | N/A |
| |2.4M | `brotli -o test.wasm.br test.wasm` | 53.6s |
| |3.3M | `go-zopfli test.wasm` | 3m 2.6s |
| |3.4M | `gzip --best test.wasm` | 2.5s |
| |3.4M | `gzip test.wasm` | 0.8s |
| |======= |
| |
| **Example 2** |
| [width="25%",cols="^m,e,e",frame="topbot",options="header"]] |
| |======= |
| | Size | Command | Compression time |
| |2.3M | (uncompressed size) | N/A |
| |496K | `brotli -o main.wasm.br main.wasm` | 5.7s |
| |640K | `go-zopfli main.wasm` | 16.2s |
| |660K | `gzip --best main.wasm` | 0.2s |
| |668K | `gzip main.wasm` | 0.2s |
| |======= |
| |
| Use something like https://github.com/lpar/gzipped to automatically serve compressed files with correct headers, when available. |
| |
| **2.** Use https://github.com/tinygo-org/tinygo[TinyGo] to generate the Wasm file instead. |
| |
| TinyGo supports a subset of the Go language targeted for embedded devices, and has a WebAssembly output target. |
| |
| While it does have limitations (not yet a full Go implementation), it is still fairly capable and the generated Wasm files are... tiny. ~10kB isn't unusual. The "Hello world" example is 575 bytes. If you `gz -6` that, it drops down to 408 bytes. :wink: |
| |
| This project is also very actively developed, so its capabilities are expanding out quickly. See https://tinygo.org/docs/guides/webassembly/ for more information on using WebAssembly with TinyGo. |
| |
| # Other WebAssembly resources |
| |
| * https://github.com/mbasso/awesome-wasm[Awesome-Wasm] - An extensive list of further Wasm resources. Not Go specific. |