Hologram v0.8.0 introduces JavaScript interoperability allowing Elixir developers to call JS functions, use npm packages, interact with Web APIs, and work with Web Components directly from Elixir code. The release includes async/await support, Web Components template support, and language server compatibility fixes.
This article argues that WebAssembly remains a second-class citizen on the web due to poor integration with the web platform, specifically the lack of direct access to Web APIs and cumbersome code loading mechanisms. The author details how WebAssembly requires JavaScript glue code to interact with DOM APIs and discusses proposals like ESM integration and WebAssembly Components as potential solutions.
A practical guide documenting patterns and conventions for writing Rust-based WebAssembly with improved ergonomics and safety, including type naming conventions (Wasm* prefixes for exports, Js* for imports), memory management strategies (using Rc/Arc over raw references), and best practices for managing the boundary between Rust's ownership model and JavaScript's garbage collection.