WebVM: The hackathon was a global hybrid event open to all developers! It enabled the participants to dive into terminal-based solutions by leveraging CheerpX, a WebAssembly-powered tool for executing x86 binaries on the browser.
Event Overview
- Amazing Prize: The winning team received a 500 GBP gift card prize!
- Global Hybrid Event: Teams could participate from anywhere in the world or could join us in person at one of our vibrant locations in Amsterdam or Leeds, UK.
- Exciting Challenge: Enable competitors to dive into the possibilities of CheerpX by creating terminal-based solutions and showcase their coding skills.
- Collaborative Environment: By assembling their tech squad, it enabled participants to connect with other developers, and immerse themselves in a tech project for a whole weekend.
- Learn and Grow: Whether they were a beginner or an expert, there was something for everyone. Gaining insights into terminal-based solutions, WebAssembly, and virtualization.
How it worked
- Teams ranged from 2 to 5 members
- You could participate from anywhere in the world online or you could join us in person in Leeds, UK or Amsterdam, NL.
- The Hackathon kicked off on Friday, October 11th, where we unveiled the theme.
- Teams then had the weekend to work on their masterpiece
- We supplied technical support through a dedicated Discord Channel
- Teams then submitted their project via a public GitHub repository on Monday 14th
- Our judging panel reviewed the submissions over the next weeks and announced the winners.
Judging Panel
- Alessandro Pignotti – Chief Technology Officer, Leaning Technologies
- Martin Nyaga – Lead Software Developer, DRS Software
- Jules Saarikoski – Compilers Software Engineer, Leaning Technologies
- Luca Invernizzi – Research Scientist Manager, Google
Event Highlights
- The theme of the Hackathon was “Crafting the Impossible”
- We had 10 team registrations
- 3 teams submitted their projects for review
- Feedback from the event was very positive with teams reporting that they gained “deeper insights into WebAssembly and browser capabilities”.
The Winning Project
Team ART Force used CheerpX to execute Python code in the browser, akin to platforms like NeetCode.io. The project aimed to demonstrate the potential of WebVM for running terminal-based applications without requiring native installations. It provided users with a workspace for coding problems, featuring a split-view interface with an editor and console.
By leveraging client-side execution with CheerpX and WebAssembly, the project intended to eliminate server-side processing, improving speed, privacy, and scalability. The idea is that users can clone the repository, install dependencies, and run coding problems directly in the browser for immediate feedback.
ART Force believes Client-side code execution’s benefits include cost efficiency, lower latency, and reduced server load compared to server-side validation services. They have stated that future enhancements could include supporting multiple languages, adding more test cases, implementing user accounts, expanding the problem set, and allowing custom test cases.
The tech stack included React.js for the UI, CodeMirror for the code editor, and CheerpX for executing Python in the browser using WebAssembly.
You can explore and browse the submitted projects here.
