>WASM vs a container runtime isn't a meaningful comparison because they're at different layers of the stack. It's not just comparing pure WASM (bytecode) but the WASM+WASI (runtime) which is what this article's WasmEdge (runtime) is about. It's a meaningful comparison when the original creator of Docker containers also compared them: >Solomon Hykes / @shykes@hachyderm.io @solomonstre >If WASM+WASI existed in 2008, we wouldn't have needed to created Docker. That's how important it is. Webassembly on the server is the future of computing. A standardized system interface was the missing link. Let's hope WASI is up to the task! -- from 2019-03-27t20:39:47 twitter.com/solomonstre/status/11110049…

WebAssembly is not just for the web. Please take a look at wasmtime[1], wasmer[2]. It's the future of computing. You might want to read this iconic tweet[3] [1]: wasmtime.dev [2]: wasmer.io [3]: twitter.com/solomonstre/status/11110049…

Here's a tweet from Solomon Hykes noting, if WASM existed back in 2008, he wouldn't have created Docker! twitter.com/solomonstre/status/11110049…... My biggest concern with K8s is how the entire ecosystem is a costly affair. Can I run a service with multiple nodes for 10-50$ per month? This is why I'd love WASM to win. Right now your browser can run 100s of tabs, with inter-tab communications and all the security sophistications on a single machine. For me, this symbolises a future where WASM can bring cheaper computing to the cloud as well. I don't want to pay a fortune as AWS/Azure bills just because k8s is a costly ecosystem.

Of course containers will be around probably forever, just as we still have mainframes. Note that current serverless and container platforms start and manage long running instances and occasionally incur cold starts. WASM has near instant startup, making a cold start for each request feasible. I think this could be a key property/advantage that makes it preferable and more economically efficient in the long run. WASM I think has a stronger sandbox as well. Containers in a multi-tenant environment need to run inside a virtual machine. WASM can be run in multi-tenant without the need to isolate each tenant in a virtual machine, again making it more efficient in long run. edit: also recalled a relevant tweet from creator of docker twitter.com/solomonstre/status/11110049…

Solomon Hykes, the father of Docker agrees: twitter.com/solomonstre/status/11110049…... the tweet is from 2019

>I believe a VM centered on the app (WebAssembly VMs) or functions (serverless approach) is the right computation unit to allow proper scalability and a simpler and more powerful system on the long term. Docker's co-founder agrees: "If WASM+WASI existed in 2008, we wouldn't have needed to created Docker. That's how important it is. Webassembly on the server is the future of computing." twitter.com/solomonstre/status/11110049…

I would say docker's real innovation was the introduction of reproducibility to system software at the OS-level. Or, it was a vote of no-confidence in the old way of patching/upgrading/deploying/building software. Or, static linking won. The Linux features like cgroups/overlayfs etc that were used to deliver reproducibility at an acceptable performance cost are more of an implementation detail than the actual innovation, imo. I think one of the co-founders of docker might agree [1]. [1]: twitter.com/solomonstre/status/11110049…

If WASM+WASI existed in 2008, we wouldn't have needed to create Docker. That's how important it is. WebAssembly on the server is the future of computing. - Solomon Hykes (co-founder of Docker) twitter.com/solomonstre/status/11110049…

You’re missing the point. It’s about containerization. To quote a Docker cofounder: > If WASM+WASI existed in 2008, we wouldn't have needed to created Docker. That's how important it is. Webassembly on the server is the future of computing. A standardized system interface was the missing link. Let's hope WASI is up to the task! [1] twitter.com/solomonstre/status/11110049…...

Solomon Hykes, author of Docker: If WASM+WASI existed in 2008, we wouldn't have needed to created Docker. That's how important it is. Webassembly on the server is the future of computing. A standardized system interface was the missing link. Let's hope WASI is up to the task! cf twitter.com/solomonstre/status/11110049…...

> If WASM+WASI existed in 2008, we wouldn't have needed to created Docker. Source: twitter.com/solomonstre/status/11110049…...

Solomon Hykes, co-founder of Docker, believes WASM+WASI could take the place of Docker. twitter.com/solomonstre/status/11110049…

There was talk about Docker supporting wasm alongside containers: mobile.twitter.com/solomonstre/status/1…...