WebSerial API

[chengweih001]

Description

The Web Serial API is one of a set of APIs that allow websites to communicate with peripherals connected to a user's computer. It provides the ability to connect to devices that are required by the operating system to communicate via the serial API, rather than USB which can be accessed via the WebUSB API, or input devices that can be accessed via WebHID API.

Specification

https://wicg.github.io/serial/

Additional Signals

Standards Positions

• Gecko: (Neutral)
  • Serial API mozilla/standards-positions#336
  • Re-request for postion on Web Serial/Serial API mozilla/standards-positions#687
• WebKit:
  • Web Serial API WebKit/standards-positions#199

Tests

• https://wpt.fyi/results/serial

Browser Bugs

• Chromium (65 stars)

Developer Surveys

• MDN Web Developer Survey - Challenges for progressive programmers
  • “Lack of APIs” is Subgrid #1 request from the “Progressive Programmers” segment.

Additional Signals

Developers have shown strong interest in WebSerial when it was shared on discourse.wicg.io, And beyond its existing Chrome support, WebSerial is generating interest from developers eager to see it implemented in Firefox. Companies across various sectors are embracing WebSerial: BDT in manufacturing, Arduino and Espruino in the hobbyist space, and both Vitta Science and Wildcards in education. In terms of its potential, one developer who works for a large semiconductor company mentioned WebSerial could be an effective alternative to their customers’ pain point.

[wpt-interop]

Thank you for proposing WebSerial API for inclusion in Interop 2025.

We wanted to let you know that this proposal was not selected to be part of Interop this year.

On behalf of the entire Interop team, thank you for submitting this proposal for consideration. We got many more proposals than we could include in this year's project, necessitating some difficult choices. Please note this should not be taken as a comment on the technology as a whole, or our willingness to consider it for Interop in the future. We appreciate the work you put into your proposal, and would welcome your participation in future rounds of Interop.

For an overview of our process, see proposal selection. Thank you again for contributing to Interop 2025.

Posted on behalf of the Interop team.