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wtf is tangledwig?

diogoneves/tangledwig — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-08-03 · repo last pushed 2023-02-28

ZigAudience · researcherComplexity · 5/5DormantSetup · hard

TL;DR

TangledWig is an experimental project that tests whether a Tangle, a web-like alternative to blockchain used by IOTA, can be synchronized efficiently using Zig code compiled to run in WebAssembly inside browsers or other web runtimes.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
  What it does
    Syncs Tangle data
    Tests WebAssembly perf
    DAG-based consensus
  Tech stack
    Zig language
    WebAssembly runtime
    Browser environment
  Use cases
    IoT micropayments
    Browser crypto wallets
    Lightweight decentralized apps
  Audience
    Distributed ledger devs
    DAG researchers
    Crypto protocol builders
  Status
    Early stage research
    No docs yet
    Source code only

Code map

Detail Auto

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Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Explore how Tangle synchronization performs when compiled to WebAssembly for browser execution.

REASON 2

Use as a starting point for building lightweight IoT micropayment systems that avoid traditional blockchain overhead.

REASON 3

Prototype browser-based crypto wallets that rely on DAG consensus instead of a linear blockchain.

REASON 4

Study directed acyclic graph consensus mechanics in a constrained web runtime environment.

What's in the stack?

ZigWebAssembly

How it stacks up

diogoneves/tangledwigalichraghi/mach-duskalichraghi/mach-glfw-vulkan-example
LanguageZigZigZig
Last pushed2023-02-282024-02-242023-08-11
MaintenanceDormantDormantDormant
Setup difficultyhardhardmoderate
Complexity5/54/53/5
Audienceresearcherdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1h+

No documentation or setup instructions are provided, you must read the Zig source code directly and figure out how to compile it to WebAssembly yourself.

No license information is provided, so the terms of use are unclear and you would need to contact the author before using this code.

Wtf does this do

TangledWig is an experimental project exploring how to synchronize a "Tangle" data structure using the Zig programming language compiled to run in a WebAssembly environment. A Tangle is an alternative to traditional blockchain architecture, instead of linking blocks in a single linear chain, transactions are connected in a web-like graph where each new transaction validates two previous ones. This approach is most notably used by networks like IOTA. The project's goal is to see whether this synchronization process can work efficiently when the code runs inside a browser or other WebAssembly-compatible runtime. WebAssembly is a technology that lets high-performance programs written in languages like Zig, C++, or Rust execute at near-native speed inside web environments. By compiling Zig to WebAssembly, the project tests how well a Tangle's graph-based consensus and synchronization logic perform within those constraints. The primary audience for this experiment is developers and researchers interested in distributed ledger technology, specifically non-blockchain approaches like directed acyclic graphs (DAGs). Someone working on IoT micropayments, browser-based crypto wallets, or lightweight decentralized applications might find this exploration relevant. It could serve as a starting point for building systems where low latency and minimal resource usage matter more than the heavier computational requirements of a traditional blockchain. The README doesn't go into detail about specific features, performance benchmarks, or how far along the experiment actually is. It reads as an early-stage research project rather than a production-ready tool. There's no documentation on how to use it, what results have been observed, or whether the synchronization approach proved viable. Anyone interested would likely need to dig into the source code directly to understand what the experiment has uncovered so far.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Help me understand the Tangle synchronization logic in this Zig-to-WebAssembly project. Walk me through the source code structure and explain how transactions reference and validate two previous ones.
Prompt 2
I want to compile this Tangle project from Zig to WebAssembly. Guide me through the build steps and how to load the resulting WebAssembly module in a browser.
Prompt 3
Help me write a simple test harness that loads this Tangle WebAssembly module in a browser and triggers transaction synchronization so I can observe whether the DAG consensus works.
Prompt 4
Compare this Tangle-based synchronization approach to a traditional blockchain. Based on the source code, what are the tradeoffs in latency, resource usage, and browser compatibility?
Prompt 5
Help me trace through the Zig source code to understand how the Tangle graph structure is represented and how new transactions are added and validated.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is tangledwig?

TangledWig is an experimental project that tests whether a Tangle, a web-like alternative to blockchain used by IOTA, can be synchronized efficiently using Zig code compiled to run in WebAssembly inside browsers or other web runtimes.

What language is tangledwig written in?

Mainly Zig. The stack also includes Zig, WebAssembly.

Is tangledwig actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2023-02-28).

What license does tangledwig use?

No license information is provided, so the terms of use are unclear and you would need to contact the author before using this code.

How hard is tangledwig to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated hard, with roughly 1h+ to a first successful run.

Who is tangledwig for?

Mainly researcher.

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