4 Questions \ Concerns \ Challenges

Summary

1. general
   • Web vs. not Web
2. interop
   • How to expose Python in JS/TS?
   • How to expose JS/TS in Python?
3. runtime
   • What part of runtime is unsupported?
   • Performance Penalty
4. modules
   • What stdlib modules are unavailable?
   • .py/extension import won't work without adding an importer that can handle JS sandbox
   • How to provide stdlib?
   • How to support Python (.py) modules?
   • How to support extension modules?
5. Python server
   • Interact via Socket vs. stdio
   • Lifecycle Management
   • JS/TS API
   • Python API

General

Web vs. not Web

...

Interop

Prior Art:

• Jython
• IronPython
• brython
• batavia
• transcrypt
• ...

How to expose Python in JS/TS?

• "py" JS module: .exec(src: string): any
• "py" JS module: .run(argv, ...) (a la subprocess)
• "py" JS module: .import(module: string): Module (expose module attrs to JS)
• native JS modules / objects
• ...

How to expose JS/TS in Python?

• "js" (or "ts") Python module to expose JS globals
• "js" Python module: .require(module) (expose JS module to Python)
• ...

Runtime

Prior art:

• brython
• transcrypt
• batavia
• micropython
• ...

What part of runtime is unsupported?

• subinterpreters?
• threads?
• subprocesses?

Performance Penalty

Native JS/WASM will be faster (and use less memory) than artifacts compiled/transpiled from Python.

Modules

Prior art:

• brython
• transcrypt
• batavia
• micropython
• ...

What stdlib modules are unavailable?

.py/extension import won't work without adding an importer that can handle JS sandbox

How to provide stdlib?

• pre-build into Python runtime (i.e. frozen/builtin)
• ship zipped along with Python (.py only)

How to support Python (.py) modules?

• pre-build into Python runtime (i.e. frozen)
• ship zipped along with Python (.py only)

How to support extension modules?

• pre-build into Python runtime (i.e. builtin)
• transpile to JS
• compile to WASM

Python Server

Interact via socket vs. stdio

...

Lifecycle Management

e.g. launch; don't leak processes

JS/TS API

...

Python API

...