Virtual Microcontrollers In A Browser – Meet Velxio

The Rise of Browser Based Software

For anyone who remembers the early days of computing, software used to be purpose built running its own container and directly on the metal. These days of software were painful, as operating systems mattered, compatibility was a big thing, and people found themselves locked into solutions.

But one thing that has recently changed is browser-based apps, and this computing paradigm has opened up many solutions, fundamentally changing how we use software (not always for the better like those who rely on slop frameworks such as React).

Browser-based apps are, by default, cross-platform and can be deployed on the cloud. They can also be run locally, giving immense power in deployment. The use of languages like JS and PHP means that changes can be made with ease, often not requiring long compilation.

The first tools were email, word docs, and spreadsheetsm but now its covering engineering tools, like coding, development, and even CAD!

Meet Velxio – The Browser Micro Simulator

The Velxio project by David Montero Crespo is an online circuit simulator with programmable logic and local execution. Velxio is built around the AVR8JS library for Arduino simulation, with all CPU simulation happening locally and sketch compilation taking place on the backend using official Arduino tools.

The project also features RP2040 execution using the rp2040js library and also runs ESP32 derivative boards using the RiscVCore.ts library. The simulator also has a QEMU simulation for more complex CPU architectures like the vanilla ESP32.

The simulator can also execute Raspberry Pi Python code and allows for multiple boards to be used in the same simulation. Velxio also has the capability to handle multi-file code executions and stores everything in a backend database.

The project features a modern user interface with a circuit diagram, parts selector, and a complete integrated development environment (IDE). Velxio can be tried at velxio.dev or run on a personal home lab using docker compose.

Are Browsers The Future?

Browser-based tools are undeniably impressive and extremely capable. Their cross-platform nature makes them very useful, eliminating the need for specific operating systems. It could even help platforms like Linux become more popular.

But for all their benefits, they do suffer from some major issues, including often being very slow and heavily bloated. They are also difficult to manage at times, can require large downloads, and also often limited due to browser issues.

However, going forward, this is all likely to change, and as browser based solutions become more dominant, developers will do what they can to keep them relevant by increasing their capabilities. In fact, it is very likely that the future of computing will be built around web-delivered systems, making the browser the next operating system.