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WebVM 2.0: A complete Linux Desktop Environment in the browser via WebAssembly

WebVM is a full Linux environment running in the browser, client-side. It is a complete virtual machine, with support for persistent data storage, networking and, as of today’s release, Xorg and complete desktop environments. This article will explain the WebVM architecture, how the main components work, and what you can build with this technology.

Thanks to KMS it’s possible, for example, for a Linux system to move from the early kernel messages, the boot animation and Xorg without flickering, since access to the GPU is coordinated across all these steps. KMS is a somewhat convoluted and not always well documented API, but with some effort we managed to support it in CheerpX, allowing Xorg to run with the standard drivers provided by any distro. The release of CheerpX 1.0 is coming up shortly, featuring a license model that allows any individual to use it for free for any purpose, including open source and commercial projects.

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