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Rust WebP decoder aims to improve memory safety and speed

halide.cx 4 min read Editor score 7/10

The wpd decoder is written in Rust and claims better single-threaded performance and parallel scaling than libwebp, targeting a format implicated in a widely exploited memory-safety flaw. It is relevant to engineers balancing parser security and throughput.

What

wpd is a Rust WebP decoder designed to improve on libwebp in memory safety and performance.

How

It uses carefully scoped handwritten assembly for speed, but can be built without it; the non-SIMD code is described as verifiably memory-safe.

Why it matters

Safer decoding matters because image libraries process complex untrusted inputs and are used across operating systems and sandboxed browsers.

Read on halide.cx → Hacker News · 18 comments

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