Browser Compatibility Guide

Complete browser compatibility guide for Compresso - WebAssembly support, performance requirements, and troubleshooting

Browser Compatibility Guide

Modern Browser Requirements

Compresso uses cutting-edge WebAssembly technology for client-side processing. Understanding browser compatibility ensures the best experience.

Supported Browsers Overview

Chrome

Version 90+

✓ Excellent

Firefox

Version 88+

✓ Excellent

Safari

Version 14+

⚠ Good

Edge

Version 90+

✓ Excellent

🔧 WebAssembly Requirements

Core Technology Requirements

✅ Required Features

WebAssembly (WASM)

Core technology for client-side file processing

Web Workers

Background processing without blocking UI

File API

Reading files from user's device

ES6 Modules

Modern JavaScript module system

🚀 Optional Enhancements

SharedArrayBuffer

Faster video processing with threading

SIMD Instructions

Accelerated mathematical operations

Service Workers

Offline functionality and caching

📊 Detailed Browser Support Matrix

Browser WebAssembly Web Workers SharedArrayBuffer Performance
Chrome 90+ ✓ Full ✓ Full ✓ Full Excellent
Firefox 88+ ✓ Full ✓ Full ⚠ Limited Excellent
Safari 14+ ✓ Full ✓ Full ✗ None Good
Edge 90+ ✓ Full ✓ Full ✓ Full Excellent

📱 Mobile Browser Support

iOS Safari

iOS 14.0+ ✓ Supported
iOS 13.0-13.7 ⚠ Limited
iOS < 13.0 ✗ Not supported

Note: iOS Safari has strict memory limits. Large files may fail on older devices.

Android Chrome

Chrome 90+ ✓ Excellent
Chrome 80-89 ✓ Good
Chrome < 80 ✗ Not supported

Note: Android Chrome generally has better performance than iOS Safari for WASM.

⚡ Performance Considerations

Browser Performance Characteristics

🚀 Chrome & Edge (Chromium)

Strengths
  • • Excellent WASM performance
  • • Full SharedArrayBuffer support
  • • Advanced memory management
  • • Hardware acceleration
Ideal For
  • • Large file processing
  • • Complex video conversions
  • • Multi-threaded operations
  • • Professional workflows

🦊 Firefox

Strengths
  • • Excellent WASM compilation
  • • Good memory efficiency
  • • Strong security model
  • • Consistent performance
Limitations
  • • Limited SharedArrayBuffer
  • • Slower for complex operations
  • • Less hardware acceleration

🧭 Safari

Strengths
  • • Good WASM support
  • • Energy efficient
  • • Integrated with macOS/iOS
  • • Decent mobile performance
Limitations
  • • No SharedArrayBuffer
  • • Stricter memory limits
  • • Slower WASM compilation
  • • Limited threading

🔍 Browser Detection & Fallbacks

How Compresso Handles Browser Differences

1

Automatic Feature Detection

Compresso automatically detects your browser's capabilities and adjusts processing methods accordingly.

2

Progressive Enhancement

Advanced features like multi-threading are used when available, but processing works on all supported browsers.

3

Graceful Degradation

If advanced features aren't available, processing falls back to single-threaded mode with clear user feedback.

❌ Unsupported Browsers

Browsers That Won't Work

Desktop Browsers

  • Internet Explorer (all versions)
  • Chrome < 90
  • Firefox < 88
  • Safari < 14

Mobile Browsers

  • iOS < 14 (iPhone/iPad)
  • Android Browser (default browser)
  • Chrome Mobile < 80
  • Opera Mini (all versions)

What happens if your browser isn't supported? You'll see a friendly message explaining the requirements and suggestions for compatible browsers.

🛠️ Troubleshooting Browser Issues

🐌 Slow Performance

!

Close other browser tabs

Free up memory and CPU resources for processing

!

Check for browser extensions

Some extensions can interfere with WebAssembly

!

Try incognito/private mode

Isolates from extensions and cached data issues

💾 Out of Memory Errors

!

Use smaller files

Break large files into smaller chunks if possible

!

Restart your browser

Clear memory leaks and reset available RAM

!

Try a different browser

Chrome generally has the most available memory

🔄 Failed to Load WebAssembly

i

Check your internet connection

WASM files are downloaded on first use

i

Clear browser cache

Corrupted cached WASM files can cause loading issues

i

Disable content blockers

Some blockers prevent WASM from loading

🔧 Developer Information

For Developers: Technical Details

WASM Libraries Used

  • • libheif: HEIC/HEIF image decoding
  • • Squoosh codecs: Image compression (mozjpeg, webp, avif)
  • • FFmpeg.wasm: Video/audio processing
  • • pdf-lib: PDF manipulation

Security Headers

  • • COOP: Cross-Origin Opener Policy
  • • COEP: Cross-Origin Embedder Policy
  • • CSP: Content Security Policy allows WASM
  • • CORS: Proper CORS headers for assets

Feature Detection: Compresso uses modern JavaScript APIs to detect browser capabilities before attempting to load WASM modules.

📈 Performance Benchmarks

Typical Processing Times

Processing times for a 10MB HEIC image on a modern laptop:

Chrome:
~2 seconds
Firefox:
~3 seconds
Safari:
~4 seconds
Mobile Safari:
~8 seconds

* Times vary significantly based on device specifications, file complexity, and browser optimizations

Back to Documentation
technical