diff --git a/docs/introduction.md b/docs/introduction.md index 6385e94635..f48745b766 100644 --- a/docs/introduction.md +++ b/docs/introduction.md @@ -1,10 +1,36 @@ # Introduction -[Wasmtime][github] is a standalone optimizing runtime for [WebAssembly], -[the Component Model], and [WASI] by the [Bytecode Alliance][BA]. It runs -WebAssembly code [outside of the Web], and can be used both as a command-line -utility or as a library embedded in a larger application. Wasmtime strives to be -a highly configurable and embeddable runtime to run on any scale of application. +[Wasmtime][github] is a standalone runtime for WebAssembly, WASI, and the +Component Model by the [Bytecode Alliance][BA]. + +[WebAssembly] (abbreviated Wasm) is a binary instruction format that is designed +to be a portable compilation target for programming languages. Wasm binaries +typically have a `.wasm` file extension. In this documentation, we'll also use +the textual representation of the binary files, which have a `.wat` file +extension. + +[WASI] (the WebAssembly System Interface) defines interfaces that provide a +secure and portable way to access several operating-system-like features such as +filesystems, networking, clocks, and random numbers. + +[The Component Model] is a Wasm architecture that provides a binary format for +portable, cross-language composition. More specifically, it supports the use of +interfaces via which components can communicate with each other. WASI +is defined in terms of component model interfaces. + +Wasmtime runs WebAssembly code [outside of the Web], and can be used both as a +command-line utility or as a library embedded in a larger application. It +strives to be + +- **Fast**: Wasmtime is built on the optimizing [Cranelift] code generator. +- **Secure**: Wasmtime's development is strongly focused on correctness and + security. +- **Configurable**: Wasmtime uses sensible defaults, but can also be configured + to provide more fine-grained control over things like CPU and memory + consumption. +- **Standards Compliant**: Wasmtime passes the official WebAssembly test suite + and the Wasmtime developers are intimately engaged with the WebAssembly + standards process. This documentation is intended to serve a number of purposes and within you'll find: @@ -21,8 +47,9 @@ contributions are welcome! [github]: https://github.com/bytecodealliance/wasmtime [BA]: https://bytecodealliance.org/ +[Cranelift]: https://github.com/bytecodealliance/wasmtime/blob/main/cranelift/README.md [WebAssembly]: https://webassembly.org/ [WASI]: https://wasi.dev [outside of the Web]: https://webassembly.org/docs/non-web/ [issue]: https://github.com/bytecodealliance/wasmtime/issues/new -[the Component Model]: https://github.com/WebAssembly/component-model +[The Component Model]: https://github.com/WebAssembly/component-model