Compile Erlang to WASM and run as HTTP/incoming-handler
Hello! This is the most useless thing I did in quite some time, but it was fun. Compile erlang (actually BEAM) to wasm, statically link with a small http wrapper and run as a request handler under wasmtime. This is not very practical as of now and you better just compile atomvm and statically link it with erlang payload if you really need to run erlang on the edge node (you don't). When (if) typed continuations become a thing, this should also allow for erlang actor model.
Compile Erlang to WASM and run as HTTP/incoming-handler launched on July 25, 2024 with 32 votes, #960 of 5,184 launches that month and more than 75% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 2 years on.
In plain words
This project compiles Erlang code to WebAssembly and runs it as an HTTP request handler within Wasmtime. It works by converting BEAM bytecode to WASM and statically linking it with a small HTTP wrapper. The creator acknowledges this is primarily an experimental exercise rather than a practical solution, noting that existing alternatives like AtomVM would be more suitable for production edge computing. The project may eventually support Erlang's actor model if typed continuations are implemented in WebAssembly.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
Run erlang as a WASI http server (vapourware). Contribute to erwasm/erwasm-http development by creating an account on GitHub.
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