Run a Full Linux VM Directly in Your Browser with WebVM

Overview

WebVM is an open‑source project (https://github.com/leaningtech/webvm/) that runs a full Linux virtual machine directly in a web browser. It enables execution of unmodified Debian binaries and native development toolchains without any client‑side installation.

Architecture

The VM is powered by the CheerpX virtualization engine, which provides:

An x86‑to‑WebAssembly just‑in‑time (JIT) compiler that translates native instructions to WebAssembly at runtime.

A virtual block‑device file system that stores files in the browser’s memory or IndexedDB.

A Linux syscall emulator that implements the majority of kernel interfaces required by user‑space programs.

Supported Languages and Toolchains

Because the underlying Debian environment is intact, any language or toolchain available in Debian can be used, including but not limited to:

Python

C / C++ (gcc, clang)

Rust (cargo)

Lua

Ruby

Other interpreted or compiled languages that have Debian packages.

Running Code in the Browser

Example: executing a Python script that prints the Fibonacci sequence.

Compiling and running a C program with gcc:

gcc -o helloworld examples/c/helloworld.c   # compile the program

./helloworld                                 # run the compiled binary

Similar commands work for Lua, Ruby, Rust, etc., using the respective interpreters or compilers installed in the Debian environment.

Deploying a Custom WebVM Instance on GitHub Pages

Fork the WebVM repository.

In the forked repository, open Settings → Pages and select GitHub Actions as the source.

If a custom domain is used, enable “Enforce HTTPS” to ensure secure access.

Run the deployment workflow:

Open the Actions tab.

Accept the prompt to enable workflows for the fork.

Select the workflow named Deploy and click Run workflow (confirm twice if prompted).

After a few seconds the Deploy workflow starts; click the workflow run to view details.

When the workflow finishes (a few minutes), the deploy_to_github_pages step outputs the URL where the WebVM instance is live.