WebAssembly Deep Learning Projects

WebAssembly Deep Learning Projects

Master WebAssembly from the ground up through hands-on implementation projects

This directory contains comprehensive, expanded guides for each WebAssembly learning project. Each guide transforms a project idea into a complete learning experience with theory, implementation guidance, and real-world connections.

Learning Path Overview

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        WebAssembly Mastery Journey                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                             │
│  ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐                │
│  │   P01: WAT   │────▶│  P02: Parser │────▶│P03: Interpret│                │
│  │  Foundation  │     │ Binary Format│     │  Execution   │                │
│  └──────────────┘     └──────────────┘     └──────┬───────┘                │
│         │                    │                    │                        │
│         │                    │                    ▼                        │
│         │                    │            ┌──────────────┐                 │
│         │                    └───────────▶│P04: Compiler │                 │
│         │                                 │  Code Gen    │                 │
│         │                                 └──────┬───────┘                 │
│         │                                        │                         │
│         ▼                                        ▼                         │
│  ┌──────────────┐                        ┌──────────────┐                  │
│  │ P05: WASI    │◀───────────────────────│  Capstone:   │                  │
│  │   Runtime    │                        │  Toolchain   │                  │
│  └──────────────┘                        └──────────────┘                  │
│                                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

WebAssembly Mastery Journey

Project Index

# Project Difficulty Time Core Learning
P01 Hand-Write WAT Programs Beginner Weekend Stack machine fundamentals, WAT syntax
P02 Build a WASM Binary Parser Intermediate 1-2 weeks Binary format, LEB128, module structure
P03 Build a WASM Interpreter Advanced 1 month+ Execution semantics, VM implementation
P04 Compile a Language to WASM Advanced 1 month+ Code generation, compiler design
P05 Build a WASI Runtime Advanced 2-3 weeks System interfaces, capability security
P06 Full-Stack WASM Toolchain Expert 2-3 months Complete toolchain integration

Prerequisites by Project

Project 1 (WAT):
├── Basic programming in any language
├── Concept: What is an assembly language
└── Willingness to think at a low level

Project 2 (Parser):
├── Project 1 completion (recommended)
├── Binary/hexadecimal number systems
├── File I/O in your chosen language
└── Basic data structures (arrays, structs)

Project 3 (Interpreter):
├── Project 2 completion (required)
├── Understanding of stacks and function calls
├── Recursion and data structure manipulation
└── Some exposure to language runtimes

Project 4 (Compiler):
├── Projects 1 and 2 completion (required)
├── Basic parsing concepts (tokenizing, AST)
├── Understanding of language semantics
└── Tree traversal algorithms

Project 5 (WASI):
├── Project 3 completion (required)
├── POSIX/system call concepts
├── File descriptors and I/O
└── Security model awareness

Capstone:
├── Projects 1-4 completion (required)
├── Software architecture experience
└── Testing and debugging skills
└── Project management capabilities

Prerequisites by Project

  1. Weekend: Complete P01 (WAT) - build mental model
  2. Week 2-3: Complete P02 (Parser) - understand structure
  3. Month 2: Complete P03 (Interpreter) - master execution
  4. Month 3: Complete P04 (Compiler) - see production perspective
  5. Month 3-4: Complete P05 (WASI) - extend to systems
  6. Month 4-6: Capstone - integrate everything

Path B: Fast Track (If Time-Constrained)

  1. P01 → P02 → P03 (Core understanding in ~6 weeks)
  2. Skip P04/P05 initially, return later

Path C: Compiler Focus

  1. P01 → P02 → P04 (Focus on compilation, ~4 weeks)
  2. Return to P03 for runtime understanding

Core Concepts Covered

Concept Projects Depth
Stack-based execution P01, P03 Deep
Linear memory model P01, P03, P05 Deep
Binary format (LEB128, sections) P02, P04 Complete
WAT text format P01 Complete
Module system (imports/exports) P01, P02, P03 Complete
Type system (i32, i64, f32, f64) All Complete
Control flow (blocks, loops, br) P01, P03, P04 Deep
Host binding P01, P03, P05 Deep
WASI system interface P05 Complete
Capability-based security P05 Moderate
Code generation P04 Deep
Validation P02, Capstone Complete

Tools You’ll Need

Essential

  • Text editor with WAT/WASM support (VS Code + WebAssembly extension)
  • wabt (WebAssembly Binary Toolkit) - wat2wasm, wasm2wat, wasm-objdump
  • Node.js or browser for testing WASM
  • A C/Rust/Go/TypeScript compiler (depending on project language choice)
  • wasmtime - Reference WASI runtime for testing
  • wasm3 - Fast interpreter (good reference implementation)
  • xxd or hex editor - For binary inspection
  • wasm-validate - From wabt, for validation testing

Installation

# Install wabt (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo apt install wabt

# Install wabt (macOS)
brew install wabt

# Install wasmtime
curl https://wasmtime.dev/install.sh -sSf | bash

# Install wasm3
git clone https://github.com/aspect-it/wasm3.git && cd wasm3 && make

How to Use These Guides

Each expanded project file follows this structure:

  1. Learning Objectives - What you’ll understand after completion
  2. Conceptual Foundation - Deep theory you need before starting
  3. Project Specification - Exact requirements and deliverables
  4. Solution Architecture - High-level design guidance (not implementation)
  5. Implementation Guide - Phased approach with hints, not solutions
  6. Testing Strategy - How to verify your implementation
  7. Common Pitfalls - Mistakes to avoid
  8. Extensions - Ways to go deeper
  9. Real-World Connections - How this applies to production systems
  10. Self-Assessment - Verify your understanding

Key Principle: These guides provide enough theory and guidance to learn without external resources, while preserving the challenge of implementation. They tell you what to build and why, but not how.

Success Metrics

You’ll know you’ve mastered WebAssembly when you can:

  • Write non-trivial WAT by hand without consulting references
  • Look at hex bytes and identify WASM sections and opcodes
  • Explain why WASM uses structured control flow instead of goto
  • Implement any WASM instruction given its specification
  • Debug WASM execution by mentally tracing the stack
  • Compile simple programs to WASM without a framework
  • Explain WASI’s capability model to a security engineer
  • Identify where WASM fits in modern cloud/edge architecture

Additional Resources

Specifications

Books

  • WebAssembly: The Definitive Guide - Brian Sletten (O’Reilly)
  • Programming WebAssembly with Rust - Kevin Hoffman (Pragmatic)
  • Computer Systems: A Programmer’s Perspective - Bryant & O’Hallaron

Reference Implementations

Begin with P01 and build your understanding layer by layer. Each project makes the next one easier to comprehend.