Implementing crossplatform distributed algorithms using standard web technologies

This paper presents the development of a distributed computing framework based on standard Web technologies. The workload is specified as Javascript code, split into pieces served via HTTP and executed by web workers inside the clients´ Web browser. Initially developed to run genetic algorithms in a parallel fashion, our implementation has been generalized into a system powerful enough to run any kind of computationally intensive work. It allows running a distributed algorithm in a huge number of different devices. There are no special software requirements since every modern platform with a powerful CPU and a network connection has at least one Web browser available. The tests show tasks can be run in Web browsers in a secure and efficient manner. We show the great portability and performance achieved using a simple test bed problem.