λHive: Formal Semantics of an Edge Computing Model Based on JavaScript

Abstract

Edge computing is a paradigm that brings computation and data storage closer to the location where it is needed to improve response times and save bandwidth. It applies virtualization technology that makes it easier to deploy and run a wider range of applications on the edge servers and take advantage of largely unused computational resources. This article describes the design and formalization of Hive, a distributed shared memory model that can be transparently integrated with JavaScript using a standard out of the box runtime. To define such a model, a formal definition of the JavaScript language was used and extended to include modern capabilities and custom semantics. This extended model is used to prove that the distributed shared memory can operate on top of existing and unmodified web browsers, allowing the use of any computer and smartphone as a part of the distributed system. The proposed model guarantees the eventual synchronization of data across all the system and provides the possibility to have a stricter consistency using standard http operations.