WebAssembly for Video Analysis: An Explorative Multi-method study

Context: WebAssembly(wasm) language has gained popularity across the web-development domain for its niche characterises that differentiate from JavaScript. Several non-web developers are also showing interest in this technology to run their native applications on web platform. However, it is challenging for practitioners to identify whether this technology fits with their needs and processes. There is a lack of research that helps practitioners make this choice. Objective: Our study aims to determine the potential for adopting wasm in industry by analysing the existing knowledge on wasm with the knowledge of development practices in video analysis domain. Method: We conducted case study and SLR using snowballing and interviews. The obtained data is coded using Thematic analysis. A classification schema is modelled after UTAUT for presenting the factors that determine adoptability in the given context. Results: 16 potential factors are found that determine the adoption of wasm in the video analysis. We have also reported the current state of research on wasm and analysed the practitioner’s view points on the wasm. Conclusion: Our study provides the first systematic study on state-of-the-art Wasm literature. It can help the Software Engineering researchers to understand the current state of research on wasm and providing directions to future studies. Our study helps the practitioners in decision-making of adopting wasm. This study serves as a road map for both researchers and practitioners to understand the pre-adoption perspective on WebAssembly