The WebAssembly specification is the authoritative technical standard that defines the WebAssembly instruction set, binary format, and runtime semantics.
The specification addresses the need for a precise, unambiguous definition of how WebAssembly code executes across different implementations and platforms. It provides a formal mathematical foundation for the language, ensuring that all compliant runtimes behave consistently. The repository contains the normative specification document itself, a reference interpreter that demonstrates correct behavior, and a comprehensive test suite that validates conformance.
Developers and runtime implementers adopt this specification when building WebAssembly engines, toolchains, or applications that depend on predictable cross-platform behavior. It serves as the single source of truth for anyone implementing WebAssembly support, whether in browsers, standalone runtimes, or embedded systems. The specification is maintained through a collaborative process; significant changes or new features are discussed in a separate design repository to keep this repository focused on the formal standard itself.
The project maintains three distinct continuous integration workflows covering the specification document generation, the reference interpreter, and the test suite, indicating active validation of all three components. Contributions are welcomed through a defined process documented in the repository's contribution guidelines. The project provides a BibTeX citation file for academic and technical references to WebAssembly.
