airhacks.fm podcast with adam bien WebAssembly / Wasm and Java
Jul 20, 2025
Fabio Niephaus, an Oracle expert focused on GraalVM and WebAssembly, dives into the exciting world of polyglot programming. He discusses how GraalVM's capabilities enhance Java apps by integrating languages like Python and JavaScript. Explore the innovative WebImage feature that compiles Java bytecode to WebAssembly, enabling seamless web execution. Fabio also highlights WebAssembly's role in secure code execution and its potential for efficient edge computing, promoting new project opportunities and innovations within the Java ecosystem.
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GraalWasm as Maven Dependency
- GraalWasm can run WebAssembly modules on any JVM through Maven dependencies without requiring the full GraalVM JDK.
- This separation allows Java applications to embed WebAssembly easily and benefit from polyglot capabilities without special runtime requirements.
GraalVM's JIT Boosts Performance
- GraalVM includes the Graal compiler which acts as JIT to accelerate guest language execution.
- Using GraalVM versus standard OpenJDK mainly impacts performance through this JIT optimization.
WebAssembly's Multipurpose Value
- WebAssembly is a portable binary instruction format, like JVM bytecode but for multiple languages like Rust and Go.
- It's gaining traction beyond browsers into servers and cloud for secure, portable native extensions.