Multilingual Engine (MLE) has let developers run JavaScript in Oracle Database since 21c.
With Release Update 23.26.4, it gains support for WebAssembly (Wasm) modules. The feature is available now on Autonomous Database, with other deployment options to follow shortly.
WebAssembly is a portable binary format for code that can run in different environments. Programs written in languages such as C, Rust, and Go can be compiled to Wasm. Now, suitable Wasm libraries can run inside Oracle AI Database and be called from MLE JavaScript.
What can you do with that? Image processing is one example: a Wasm library can resize an image stored in the database. Other tasks, such as optical character recognition, may also be possible with libraries whose Wasm modules and JavaScript bindings work in MLE.
To use a library, you can store its Wasm binary as an MLE module and load its JavaScript bindings as a JavaScript module. Your JavaScript code imports the Wasm module and calls the library’s functions. Those functions can then form part of an application’s database logic.
I’ll share more technical examples in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please head over to the MLE WebAssembly documentation. We also plan to update the MLE LiveLabs so you can try the feature without setting up anything!