nodejs/node

Option to have a shared V8 library?

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#53,509 opened on Jun 19, 2024

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 (14 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)JavaScript (117,218 stars) (35,535 forks)batch import
feature requesthelp wantedv8 engine

Description

What is the problem this feature will solve?

In distros like NixOS and GuixSD, building NodeJS from scratch is a heavy computation. Building vendored V8 NodeJS is not only computationally heavy, but it also makes caching the good parts of the library impossible for a simple failed test. It is painful having to wait for a day to have a package build, only for the tests to fail for the package maintainer to disable or patch them one by one per build.

What is the feature you are proposing to solve the problem?

With V8 as a shared library, it would be possible to not only cache the dependency in a functional package manager, but also use it with other packages that require them.

What alternatives have you considered?

None, as I've read somewhere than v8 dependencies are patched, which would make it impossible to use vanilla v8 alongside.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
javascriptcpp
Domain
build systemdeveloper experience
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
5
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
over 1 week
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Node.js build internalsV8 compilation knowledgeC/C++ toolchainNode.js building from source
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
15
Research direction
Investigate the Node.js build configuration files (e.g., 'configure', 'Makefile', 'gypfiles') to understand how V8 is currently included as a static library. Research how other projects use shared V8 and any compatibility issues. Review comments in the issue for maintainer feedback and potential constraints. Propose a design for adding a configure flag to enable shared V8.
Option to have a shared V8 library? · nodejs/node#53509 | Good First Issue