The introductory guide to AssemblyScript

WebAssembly (Wasm) is a low-level language for browsers that allows code to run at near-native speed, providing a compilation target besides JavaScript and enabling new web use cases like games, scientific simulations, and editing applications. Although WebAssembly's learning curve can be steep, AssemblyScript, a TypeScript-to-WebAssembly compiler developed by Microsoft, simplifies integration for developers familiar with JavaScript by enabling them to incorporate WebAssembly without learning a new language. WebAssembly, supported by all major browsers, is delivered in a binary format, offering size and load time benefits over JavaScript, while AssemblyScript provides a familiar syntax to JavaScript developers. This combination allows developers to enhance performance for CPU-intensive tasks, as demonstrated by the example of a "prime number" calculation showing a 20.2% speed increase using AssemblyScript. While WebAssembly is not a replacement for JavaScript, it expands the web's potential for complex, desktop-like applications, and AssemblyScript provides an accessible way for developers to leverage these capabilities.