Embeddable concept

[IngwiePhoenix]

Hey.

I just heared about this project and since it is still in development, I feel like I should mention this.

People are using v8 as a dynamic or shared library for their code from time to time. Some wish to "embed nodejs". For IO.js, I would suggest to finally give it a slight re-design to enable embedding it into other applications using a simplistic v8 "initianlization" function. I.e.: Passing a Handle<Object> to a function adds io.js' functionality into that.

Again this is just an idea and pretty much something I and some others have been looking forward to.

Thanks and kind regards,
Ingwie.

[vkurchatkin]

Passing a Handle to a function adds io.js' functionality into that

that could be possible if io.js functionality was just a bunch of objects, like built-in objects. But it's not the case, for example if we want require to work we need to load all our code with module.

[sonewman]

Yeah. This seems backwards. I mean if you using v8 outside of node, surely there are other options for io, even Libuv would be more appropriate solution. What aspects of v8 are being used by the 'some' that wish from 'time to time' to embed node for IO?

[phpnode]

@sonewman ArangoDB embeds V8 and uses many node libraries (but not all of them). I pestered them a while ago about embedding node directly instead of V8 and the response is essentially "we looked into it, that's waaaayyyyy too much work"

[chrisdickinson]

There's always room for improvement on the embedability front, and we're generally amenable to issues and PRs that address specific, actionable changes that don't unduly increase the overall complexity of the project. However, io.js is first and foremost a platform – so the platform's needs are weighted more heavily than embedability if the two are at cross purposes.

Closing this issue; it's unlikely that we could narrow down io.js' API to function-taking-Handle<Value>. Even if we could, it would likely involve some pretty gnarly contortions for the codebase.

[rvagg]

related to nodejs/roadmap#9, worth moving discussion there, I think this kind of activity is worth of consideration for a longer-term roadmap if someone wants to help try and define what that path might look like.