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In this lesson, you’ll install and configure the Emscripten SDK to compile WebAssembly (WASM) binaries and prepare your code editor for development.

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Prerequisites

  • Git installed on your machine
  • Homebrew (macOS), Chocolatey (Windows), or another package manager
  • A modern code editor (we’ll use Visual Studio Code)

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1. Clone and Install Emscripten via Git

Visit the official Emscripten site for full details: https://emscripten.org 
# 1. Clone the emsdk repository
git clone https://github.com/emscripten-core/emsdk.git

# 2. Change into the cloned directory
cd emsdk

# 3. (Optional) Update to the latest version if you cloned previously
git pull
After cloning, install and activate the latest SDK release, then configure your shell environment:
./emsdk install latest
./emsdk activate latest
source ./emsdk_env.sh
This step ensures you have the required compiler, linker, and runtime env set up.

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2. Install Emscripten via Package Manager

Emscripten is also available through popular package managers:
PlatformPackage ManagerInstall Command
WindowsChocolateychoco install emscripten
macOSHomebrewbrew install emscripten
LinuxOfficial GuideSee Linux downloads
The image shows a webpage from emscripten.org listing unofficial Emscripten packages for Windows, Homebrew, and Arch Linux, along with package information and maintainers.

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3. Verify Your Installation

After installation, confirm the Emscripten compiler is accessible: 
emcc --version
Expected output: 
emcc (Emscripten gcc/clang-like replacement + linker emulating GNU ld) 3.1.48-git
Copyright (C) 2014 the Emscripten authors (see AUTHORS.txt)
This is free and open source software under the MIT license.
There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

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4. Choose Your Code Editor

We recommend using Visual Studio Code for WebAssembly development:
The image shows the Visual Studio Code website, highlighting its features and offering a download option, alongside a screenshot of the code editor with various extensions and a JavaScript file open.
  1. Download and install VS Code.
  2. Add extensions like “ESLint,” “Prettier,” and “WebAssembly Toolkit” for syntax support.

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5. Create Your WASM Project Folder

Organize your demos and examples in a dedicated directory: 
mkdir WASM
cd WASM
Inside WASM, you can start adding C/C++, Rust, or AssemblyScript source files to compile into .wasm.

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Next Steps

Now that your environment is ready, the next lesson will cover writing and compiling a simple C program to WebAssembly. Stay tuned!

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References

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