Feature: Node.js and backend support with webcontainers

[anilgulecha]

Type of feature

✨ Feature

Current behavior

Nodejs is not supported as a language

Suggested feature

Webcontainer (https://webcontainers.io/guides/introduction ) allow for setting up in browser nodejs environments which can be used to teach and run backend/nodejs code.

Proposing this here as a potential feature.

Additional context

This experience has been used across multiple documentation sites:
checkout tanstack: https://tanstack.com/table/latest/docs/framework/react/examples/column-ordering?panel=sandbox

also
https://anvil.servicetitan.com/docs/web/components/avatar/code

Code of Conduct

• I agree to follow this project's Code of Conduct

Contributing Docs

• I agree to follow this project's Contribution Docs

[hatemhosny]

Thank you @anilgulecha for the suggestion.

It is a valid need and I can see its value.
However, I'm not sure I want to use WebContainers for this for several reasons:

• The main concern is licensing. WebContainers are not open-source. In fact there are restrictions for commercial, for-profit and self-hosted usage. ( see Commercial usage and pricing). This is not compatible with LiveCodes MIT license and the ability for self-hosting.
• WebContainers require SharedArrayBuffer, which requires that all embedding pages (all the way up to the top-level page) set COOP/COEP headers. This is a difficult requirement for LiveCodes and the use of its SDK to embed playgrounds in other web pages.
• There are serious cross-browser compatibility issues, specially on mobile.
• WebContainers let you run an almost full nodejs environment in the browser. While this is a big advantage, however, this means you actually need to load the runtime, then npm install hundreds of megabytes of node_modules, then run the build (e.g. using vite or webpack) before you can run your code. This is way too expensive to run on a webpage, specially if you have multiple playgrounds on the same page. LiveCodes takes a different approach by using CDNs to only load the code you need to run. No installs or builds.

These restrictions are almost the same (including licensing) in similar projects like NodeBox and BrowserPod.

Alternatively, I think AlmostNode is a pretty interesting open-source project that solves most of these concerns. It is not a full nodejs environment, however it is lighter-weight and simulates lots of node APIs, which would be very suitable for a playground environment (see demos). It also uses service workers which would be interesting to try its integration with LiveCodes.

I will keep this open till I have more time to explore and revisit this.

[anilgulecha]

Thanks, appreciate the detailed response, and I've now learnt about almostnode as well. will take a look.