Thoughts on WebAssembly as a stack machine

This article examines the debate over whether WebAssembly (WASM) qualifies as a pure stack machine, referencing a popular post claiming it isn't due to locals and missing stack operations like dup and swap. The author argues that WASM fits the informal definition of a stack machine, as its primary interaction is through the stack, despite having registers (locals). The article compares WASM to Forth, highlighting readability and performance differences, and shows how WASM's linear code with named locals avoids complex stack manipulations. It also touches on how compilers like wasmtime optimize WASM to native code, concluding that the stack vs. register distinction is semantic and irrelevant for performance.