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| 1 | +# WASM Support for Hedera Rust SDK |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +## Overview |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +The Hedera Rust SDK now supports **WebAssembly (WASM)** compilation for transaction building and serialization! This enables JavaScript applications to leverage Rust's type safety and performance for constructing Hedera transactions. |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +## ✅ What Works in WASM |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +### Transaction Building |
| 10 | +- ✅ All transaction types can be built (Transfer, FileCreate, TokenCreate, etc.) |
| 11 | +- ✅ Transaction IDs can be generated |
| 12 | +- ✅ Transaction parameters can be set (memo, fees, node IDs, etc.) |
| 13 | +- ✅ **Transactions can be frozen** (`freeze()`) |
| 14 | +- ✅ **Transactions can be signed** (`sign()`, `sign_with()`) |
| 15 | +- ✅ Transactions can be serialized to bytes (`to_bytes()`) |
| 16 | +- ✅ Transactions can be deserialized from bytes (`from_bytes()` via `AnyTransaction`) |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +### Core Types |
| 19 | +- ✅ `AccountId`, `FileId`, `TokenId`, `TopicId`, etc. |
| 20 | +- ✅ `Hbar` and amount types |
| 21 | +- ✅ `TransactionId` generation |
| 22 | +- ✅ `PrivateKey` and `PublicKey` (generation and signing) |
| 23 | +- ✅ `AnyTransaction` for type-erased transactions |
| 24 | +- ✅ All transaction data types |
| 25 | + |
| 26 | +### Protobuf Serialization |
| 27 | +- ✅ Protobuf encoding/decoding using `prost` (via `hedera-proto-wasm`) |
| 28 | +- ✅ Transaction body serialization |
| 29 | +- ✅ Compatible with Hedera network format |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +## ❌ What's Not Available in WASM |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +These features require networking or execution context and are **native-only**: |
| 34 | + |
| 35 | +- ❌ `Client` (network communication) |
| 36 | +- ❌ Transaction execution (`.execute()`) |
| 37 | +- ❌ Query execution |
| 38 | +- ❌ Receipt/Record retrieval |
| 39 | +- ❌ Transaction signing **with operator** (`.sign_with_operator()` - requires Client) |
| 40 | +- ❌ Transaction freezing **with client** (`.freeze_with(client)` - requires Client) |
| 41 | +- ❌ Chunked transaction execution (FileAppend, TopicMessageSubmit) |
| 42 | +- ❌ Mirror node queries |
| 43 | +- ❌ Flow operations (high-level orchestration) |
| 44 | + |
| 45 | +## 🚀 Use Cases |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | +### Use Case 1: Full Transaction Building & Signing in WASM |
| 48 | + |
| 49 | +**WASM can now handle the complete transaction lifecycle except execution!** |
| 50 | + |
| 51 | +```rust |
| 52 | +// In WASM: |
| 53 | +let mut tx = TransferTransaction::new(); |
| 54 | +tx.hbar_transfer(from, -amount) |
| 55 | + .hbar_transfer(to, amount) |
| 56 | + .transaction_id(TransactionId::generate(from)) |
| 57 | + .node_account_ids([node_id]) |
| 58 | + .freeze()?; // ✅ Works in WASM! |
| 59 | + |
| 60 | +let private_key = PrivateKey::from_str("...")?; |
| 61 | +tx.sign(private_key); // ✅ Works in WASM! |
| 62 | + |
| 63 | +let signed_bytes = tx.to_bytes()?; |
| 64 | +// Send to JavaScript for execution only |
| 65 | +``` |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +### Use Case 2: Transaction Building (JavaScript Signs) |
| 68 | + |
| 69 | +Alternatively, **build in WASM and sign in JavaScript**: |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +``` |
| 72 | +┌──────────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ |
| 73 | +│ Rust/WASM │ │ Hedera Network │ |
| 74 | +│ │ │ │ |
| 75 | +│ Build TX → Freeze → Sign │────────▶│ Execute TX │ |
| 76 | +│ to_bytes() │ bytes │ (via JS client) │ |
| 77 | +└──────────────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ |
| 78 | +``` |
| 79 | + |
| 80 | +Or separate signing: |
| 81 | + |
| 82 | +``` |
| 83 | +┌─────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ |
| 84 | +│ Rust/WASM │ │ JavaScript │ │ Hedera Network │ |
| 85 | +│ │ │ │ │ │ |
| 86 | +│ Build & Freeze │────────▶│ Sign TX │────────▶│ Execute TX │ |
| 87 | +│ to_bytes() │ bytes │ (hedera-sdk-js) │ signed │ │ |
| 88 | +└─────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ |
| 89 | +``` |
| 90 | + |
| 91 | +### Workflow Options |
| 92 | + |
| 93 | +#### Option A: Full WASM (Build + Sign) |
| 94 | +```rust |
| 95 | +// WASM does everything except execution |
| 96 | +let mut tx = TransferTransaction::new(); |
| 97 | +tx.hbar_transfer(from, -amount) |
| 98 | + .hbar_transfer(to, amount) |
| 99 | + .transaction_id(TransactionId::generate(from)) |
| 100 | + .node_account_ids([node]) |
| 101 | + .freeze()?; |
| 102 | + |
| 103 | +let key = PrivateKey::from_str(private_key_hex)?; |
| 104 | +tx.sign(key); |
| 105 | + |
| 106 | +let signed_bytes = tx.to_bytes()?; |
| 107 | +// Send to JavaScript for execution only |
| 108 | +``` |
| 109 | + |
| 110 | +```javascript |
| 111 | +// JavaScript just executes the pre-signed transaction |
| 112 | +const signedTxBytes = wasmModule.buildAndSignTransaction(...); |
| 113 | +const tx = Transaction.fromBytes(signedTxBytes); |
| 114 | +const response = await tx.execute(client); |
| 115 | +``` |
| 116 | + |
| 117 | +#### Option B: WASM Build, JavaScript Sign |
| 118 | +```rust |
| 119 | +// WASM builds and freezes |
| 120 | +let mut tx = TransferTransaction::new(); |
| 121 | +tx.hbar_transfer(from, -amount) |
| 122 | + .hbar_transfer(to, amount) |
| 123 | + .transaction_id(TransactionId::generate(from)) |
| 124 | + .node_account_ids([node]) |
| 125 | + .freeze()?; |
| 126 | + |
| 127 | +let bytes = tx.to_bytes()?; |
| 128 | +``` |
| 129 | + |
| 130 | +```javascript |
| 131 | +// JavaScript signs and executes |
| 132 | +const txBytes = wasmModule.buildTransaction(...); |
| 133 | +const tx = Transaction.fromBytes(txBytes); |
| 134 | +const signedTx = await tx.sign(privateKey); |
| 135 | +const response = await signedTx.execute(client); |
| 136 | +``` |
| 137 | + |
| 138 | +## 📦 Building for WASM |
| 139 | + |
| 140 | +### Prerequisites |
| 141 | +```bash |
| 142 | +rustup target add wasm32-unknown-unknown |
| 143 | +``` |
| 144 | + |
| 145 | +### Build |
| 146 | +```bash |
| 147 | +cargo build --target wasm32-unknown-unknown --release |
| 148 | +``` |
| 149 | + |
| 150 | +### With wasm-bindgen |
| 151 | +```bash |
| 152 | +cargo install wasm-bindgen-cli |
| 153 | +wasm-bindgen target/wasm32-unknown-unknown/release/hedera.wasm \ |
| 154 | + --out-dir ./pkg \ |
| 155 | + --target web |
| 156 | +``` |
| 157 | + |
| 158 | +## 🧪 Testing & Examples |
| 159 | + |
| 160 | +### Run the Demos |
| 161 | + |
| 162 | +#### Basic Transaction Building |
| 163 | +```bash |
| 164 | +cargo run --example wasm_transaction_demo |
| 165 | +``` |
| 166 | + |
| 167 | +This demonstrates: |
| 168 | +- Building various transaction types |
| 169 | +- Serializing to bytes |
| 170 | +- Round-trip serialization/deserialization |
| 171 | +- Byte inspection |
| 172 | + |
| 173 | +#### Freeze & Sign Demo |
| 174 | +```bash |
| 175 | +cargo run --example test_wasm_signing |
| 176 | +``` |
| 177 | + |
| 178 | +This demonstrates: |
| 179 | +- ✅ Transaction freezing without client |
| 180 | +- ✅ Transaction signing with PrivateKey |
| 181 | +- ✅ Serialization of signed transactions |
| 182 | + |
| 183 | +### Expected Output |
| 184 | +``` |
| 185 | +=== Hedera WASM Transaction Building Demo === |
| 186 | +
|
| 187 | +1. Building a Transfer Transaction: |
| 188 | + ✓ Transaction serialized successfully! |
| 189 | + ✓ Byte length: 173 bytes |
| 190 | + ✓ First 20 bytes (hex): 0a aa 01 1a 00 22 50 ... |
| 191 | +
|
| 192 | +2. Building a File Create Transaction: |
| 193 | + ✓ Transaction serialized successfully! |
| 194 | + ✓ Byte length: 177 bytes |
| 195 | + ... |
| 196 | +
|
| 197 | +✓ WASM-compatible transaction building works! |
| 198 | +✓ Transactions can be serialized to bytes |
| 199 | +✓ Bytes can be sent to JavaScript for signing and submission |
| 200 | +``` |
| 201 | + |
| 202 | +## 🔧 Technical Implementation |
| 203 | + |
| 204 | +### Conditional Compilation |
| 205 | +The SDK uses `#[cfg(target_arch = "wasm32")]` to conditionally compile: |
| 206 | +- Native: Full SDK with networking (tonic, gRPC) |
| 207 | +- WASM: Transaction building only (no networking) |
| 208 | + |
| 209 | +### Protobuf Handling |
| 210 | +- **Native**: Uses `hedera-proto` with `tonic` for gRPC |
| 211 | +- **WASM**: Uses `hedera-proto-wasm` with `prost` only (no tonic dependency) |
| 212 | + |
| 213 | +### Key Architecture Decisions |
| 214 | +1. **`TransactionData` trait**: Available for both, defines transaction building |
| 215 | +2. **`TransactionExecute` trait**: Native-only, defines networking behavior |
| 216 | +3. **`AnyTransaction`**: Available for both, enables type erasure |
| 217 | +4. **`ChunkInfo`**: Simplified for WASM (metadata only, no execution) |
| 218 | +5. **Error handling**: Full error types available in both targets |
| 219 | + |
| 220 | +## 📝 Known Limitations |
| 221 | + |
| 222 | +1. **Chunking**: FileAppend and TopicMessageSubmit cannot execute multi-chunk transactions in WASM (serialization works for single chunks) |
| 223 | +2. **Operator signing**: `.sign_with_operator()` requires Client, not available in WASM (but `.sign()` works!) |
| 224 | +3. **Freeze with client**: `.freeze_with(client)` requires Client, not available in WASM (but `.freeze()` works!) |
| 225 | +4. **Checksum validation**: Disabled in WASM (returns `Ok(())`) |
| 226 | +5. **Prng transactions**: Not available in WASM |
| 227 | +6. **Batch transactions**: Not available in WASM |
| 228 | + |
| 229 | +## 🎯 Unlocked Use Cases |
| 230 | + |
| 231 | +With WASM support, you can now: |
| 232 | + |
| 233 | +1. **Complete transaction lifecycle in WASM** (build, freeze, sign, serialize) - only execution needs JavaScript |
| 234 | +2. **Type-safe transaction building** in JavaScript applications |
| 235 | +3. **Secure private key handling** entirely in WASM (keys never touch JavaScript) |
| 236 | +4. **Leverage Rust's performance** for complex transaction construction |
| 237 | +5. **Share transaction logic** between Rust backends and JavaScript frontends |
| 238 | +6. **Build browser-based** Hedera applications with Rust |
| 239 | +7. **Create mobile apps** using React Native + WASM |
| 240 | +8. **Offline transaction signing** - prepare and sign transactions without network access |
| 241 | + |
| 242 | +## 🔮 Future Improvements |
| 243 | + |
| 244 | +Potential enhancements: |
| 245 | +- [ ] wasm-bindgen bindings for direct JavaScript integration |
| 246 | +- [ ] Web Crypto API integration for WASM signing |
| 247 | +- [ ] IndexedDB storage for WASM environments |
| 248 | +- [ ] More comprehensive WASM examples |
| 249 | +- [ ] Performance benchmarks (WASM vs native) |
| 250 | + |
| 251 | +## 📚 Related Resources |
| 252 | + |
| 253 | +- [WebAssembly Official Site](https://webassembly.org/) |
| 254 | +- [wasm-bindgen Documentation](https://rustwasm.github.io/wasm-bindgen/) |
| 255 | +- [Hedera Documentation](https://docs.hedera.com/) |
| 256 | +- [hedera-sdk-js](https://github.com/hashgraph/hedera-sdk-js) |
| 257 | + |
| 258 | +## 🙏 Contributing |
| 259 | + |
| 260 | +Contributions to improve WASM support are welcome! Areas of interest: |
| 261 | +- JavaScript integration examples |
| 262 | +- Browser-based demos |
| 263 | +- Performance optimizations |
| 264 | +- Additional transaction types |
| 265 | +- Documentation improvements |
| 266 | + |
| 267 | +--- |
| 268 | + |
| 269 | +**Note**: WASM support focuses on **transaction building and serialization**. For full Hedera network interaction (signing, execution, queries), use the native Rust SDK or integrate with hedera-sdk-js for the networking layer. |
| 270 | + |
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