Learn WEBGPU with Real Code Examples

WebGPU exposes modern GPU capabilities to web applications for graphics rendering and compute workloads.

It is designed as a successor to WebGL with focus on compute shaders and low-overhead rendering pipelines.

The API is modeled closely after Vulkan/Metal/DX12 for explicit GPU control.

Supports GPU compute workloads beyond graphics (ML inference, parallel simulation, physics).

Runs in browsers without plugins through a secure, sandboxed GPU abstraction layer.

GPU buffers, textures, samplers

Render pipelines + compute pipelines

Shader language WGSL

Command encoders + command buffers

GPUQueue for asynchronous work submission

Adapter -> connection to GPU hardware

Device -> GPU context for creating resources

Queue -> submit work

Pipeline -> configuration for rendering/compute

WGSL -> shader language for WebGPU

main.js - sets up WebGPU context and pipelines

shaders.wgsl - WGSL shader programs

index.html - HTML container with canvas

assets/ - textures, models

utils/ - helper GPU functions

Request GPU adapter and device

Create buffers/textures/samplers

Write WGSL shaders

Build pipeline (compute or render)

Encode commands and submit to queue

Beginner: draw triangle in WebGPU

Intermediate: 3D model loading + PBR

Advanced: compute shaders (particles/physics)

Expert: in-browser ML inference engine

Architect: full WebGPU-powered engine/editor

WebGPU vs WebGL: modern, faster, includes compute

WebGPU vs Vulkan: similar API but browser-safe

WebGPU vs Metal/DX12: portable web-based version

WebGPU vs WASM SIMD: GPU massively faster

WebGPU vs WebAssembly threads: different workloads

2017 - WebGPU proposal begins

2019 - Chrome experimental builds

2021 - WGSL becomes mandatory

2023 - Chrome/Edge ship stable WebGPU

2024–2025 - WebGPU ML boom + browser-wide adoption

WGSL - WebGPU shading language

BindGroup - GPU resource binding layout

CommandEncoder - records GPU ops

Pipeline - GPU program config

Adapter - access to GPU hardware