WebAssembly, despite its name, is far more useful than just as a stack-based virtual machine (VM) for web browsers. It’s increasingly being used to address a wide variety of programming needs from cloud-native computing, edge computing, mobile development, and edge-based projects. To help you master it, the Linux Foundation is now offering a free online training course, called WebAssembly Actors: From Cloud to Edge (LFD134x).
The course explores the portability, efficiency, and security of WebAssembly modules using Rust and JavaScript. It will show how to leverage several different open-source frameworks to create distributed and seamlessly connected actors. You can then deploy them in a browser, on a laptop, in the cloud, on a Raspberry Pi — indeed, practically anywhere.
In particular, though, this online class is designed for developers who already have experience in building microservices and cloud-native application development. In short, this is not an introduction to WebAssembly. But, if you’re ready to build, experiment, and test locally Functions as a Service (FaaS), this class is for you.
Specifically, you’ll learn how to create and host WebAssembly modules using Rust. You’ll also learn how to use the JavaScript WebAssembly API for browsers and about the alternative, non-web host runtimes for WebAssembly.
You will learn about you can add on to the basic WebAssembly specification with community tooling and open source projects. When all’s said and done you’ll clearly understand how to build WebAssembly-based applications and how they really work.
The self-paced class was created by Kevin Hoffman, the author of Programming WebAssembly with Rust, Cloud Native Go, and other books on the .NET Framework.
You can audit the class for free to audit on edX.org for seven weeks. You can also get a verified certificate of completion for $149. The latter includes a full year of course access.
