Authors: Ravinder Seth , Ankur Joshi
Abstract: Embedded systems are increasingly required to run applications across heterogeneous hardware platforms with limited resources, strict power budgets, and long deployment lifetimes. Traditional approaches depend heavily on hardware-specific toolchains and operating systems, which reduces portability and increases development effort. WebAssembly (Wasm), originally designed for safe and fast execution inside web browsers, is now emerging as a promising portable runtime for embedded applications. Its sandboxed execution model, compact binary format, near-native performance, and language-agnostic compilation support make it suitable for resource-constrained devices. This paper reviews how WebAssembly can be integrated into embedded platforms to achieve portability, modularity, and secure execution. It discusses Wasm architecture, runtime models, memory handling, toolchains, and case studies of microcontroller and IoT deployments. Challenges such as real-time behavior, memory limits, and hardware interfacing are also analyzed. The study shows that WebAssembly provides a practical path toward platform-independent embedded software design, reducing vendor lock-in and simplifying cross-device deployment.
Keywords WebAssembly, Embedded Systems, Portability, IoT, Sandbox Execution, Lightweight Runtime, Edge Computing, WASI
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