[Feature Request] Add WebSocket Proxy Runtime Support for TCP/UDP Connections in Browser

[kelvinzer0]

First of all, thank you for your incredible work on elfconv! This project is truly groundbreaking - the ability to convert Linux ELF binaries directly to WebAssembly without source code is amazing. The AOT compilation approach and Linux syscall emulation layer are brilliantly designed.

I'm reaching out to propose an enhancement that would significantly expand elfconv's capabilities for browser-based applications.

Currently, when running elfconv-generated WASM in browsers, network operations (TCP/UDP sockets) face limitations.

Many use cases could benefit from seamless network connectivity:

• Running network client applications (SSH, curl, database clients)
• Port multiplayer games to browser
• Browser-based development tools that need network access
• IoT device management interfaces
• Real-time communication applications

Add a built-in WebSocket proxy runtime layer to elfconv that transparently bridges socket calls (TCP/UDP) to WebSocket connections, which can then be proxied to real TCP/UDP endpoints via a server-side bridge.

[VestigeJ]

Could definitely take direction from other WASM focused implementations @kelvinzer0

https://github.com/leaningtech/webvm/tree/main

https://labs.leaningtech.com/blog/webvm-virtual-machine-with-networking-via-tailscale

[yomaytk]

@kelvinzer0 Thank you for your proposal! (@VestigeJ thanks for referring to the valuable resources.)
Also, I sincerely apologize for my delayed reply.

Yes, networking is an important feature, and enabling communication of TCP/UDP packets with external systems via WebSocket sounds like a great idea.

However, networking presents some challenging issues. In browser environments, HTTP(S) and WebSocket connections are subject to CORS policies, meaning that without proper server-side configuration, unrestricted access is not possible. Therefore, to relay communication, a WebSocket bridge server must be placed locally. This approach, however, depends on external environments and is not a fully self-contained solution within the browser. Managing a dedicated server is also an option, but it introduces additional costs.

That said, I thinkd that enabling networking through a local WebSocket bridge is a good approach as a first step. I’d love to hear your thoughts(and PRs along these lines are certainly welcome!).