Understanding the Concepts and Differences Between WebGL and WebGPU

As a web developer, you’ll likely encounter situations where implementing 3D graphics or complex visualizations is necessary.
While WebGL has been the standard for high-performance graphics on the web, a new option called WebGPU has now emerged.

This article analyzes the key differences between WebGL and WebGPU, examining their strengths and weaknesses.
It also offers a practical guide on which technology to choose in real-world development.

What is WebGL?

WebGL (Web Graphics Library) is a JavaScript API introduced around 2011 that allows rendering of high-performance 3D and 2D graphics in web browsers. Built on OpenGL ES 2.0, it was groundbreaking for enabling direct use of GPU power.

WebGL’s biggest advantage is broad browser support.
It has been supported since Chrome 9 (2011), Firefox 4 (2011), and Safari 5.1 (2011), and now runs reliably in virtually all modern browsers.

However, WebGL comes with some limitations:

Complex state management: Difficult for library development due to many global states
Synchronous API: Limited asynchronous processing
Restricted GPU usage: Inability to fully utilize modern GPU features

WebGPU: The Next-Gen Web Graphics API

WebGPU is the successor to WebGL, offering an API optimized for modern GPU architectures.
It supports not only graphics rendering but also general-purpose GPU computing (GPGPU).

The main issues WebGPU aims to solve include:

WebGL’s complex state management
Inadequate utilization of modern GPU performance
Lack of compute shader support

According to Mozilla’s documentation, WebGPU aims for “better compatibility with modern GPUs, support for general-purpose computing, faster operations, and access to advanced GPU features.”

Key Differences

Difference in API Design Philosophy

WebGL’s stateful design
WebGL follows the OpenGL tradition of using a wide range of global states.
This can be intuitive for simple applications, but makes state management difficult for complex apps or libraries.

WebGPU’s stateless design
WebGPU introduces the concept of a pipeline to encapsulate rendering states.
As a result, the number of states developers need to track is significantly reduced.

// WebGPU pipeline example
const renderPipeline = device.createRenderPipeline({
  vertex: {module: shaderModule, entryPoint: 'vertex_main',
  },
  fragment: {module: shaderModule, entryPoint: 'fragment_main',
  },
  primitive: {topology: 'triangle-list',
  },
  // All rendering states are encapsulated in a single object
});

Evolution of Shading Languages

WebGL: Uses GLSL (OpenGL Shading Language)
WebGPU: Uses WGSL (WebGPU Shading Language)

WGSL is designed to be more intuitive and safer, optimized for modern GPU architectures.

Asynchronous Processing Innovation

WebGPU is designed to be fully asynchronous,
allowing GPU operations without blocking the main thread.

// Asynchronous WebGPU device initialization
async function initWebGPU() {
  if (!navigator.gpu) { throw Error("WebGPU is not supported."); }

  const adapter = await navigator.gpu.requestAdapter();
  if (!adapter) { throw Error("Unable to request WebGPU adapter."); }

  const device = await adapter.requestDevice();
  return device;
}

Compute Shader Support

One of WebGPU’s biggest innovations is native support for compute shaders.
This allows the GPU to perform a wide range of general computing tasks beyond rendering.

Example use cases:

Physics simulations
Image processing
Machine learning inference
Large-scale data processing

Improved Error Handling

WebGPU provides call stacks for all messages returned from the API.
It also allows custom labels on each WebGPU object, making debugging much easier.

Performance Comparison

Theoretical Performance Advantages

WebGPU theoretically offers better performance due to:

Lower CPU overhead: Pipeline-based design reduces state change costs
Utilization of modern GPU features: Optimized for current GPU architectures
Asynchronous processing: Minimizes main thread blocking

Real-World Benchmark Results

However, actual performance testing has shown surprising results.
According to a report from the Babylon.js community:

“WebGL showed noticeably better performance than the WebGPU engine.
Especially in scenes with many GPU particles, WebGL was overwhelmingly superior.”

Specific numbers:

WebGPU: 85–90 FPS
WebGL: Maintained 144 FPS

This suggests that WebGPU is still in its early stages, requiring more driver optimization and implementation maturity.

Performance Optimization Tips

To get the best performance from WebGPU, consider:

Utilizing render bundles
Applying advanced optimization techniques
Ensuring proper memory management

Currently, unlocking WebGPU’s full performance potential requires more learning and experience.

Browser Support Overview

WebGL Browser Support

WebGL is fully supported across almost all browsers:

Desktop: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge — full support
Mobile: iOS Safari, Chrome Mobile, Samsung Internet — supported
Stability: Over 10 years of proven stability

WebGPU Browser Support

As of November 2023, WebGPU support is still limited:

Chrome/Edge: Partially supported on ChromeOS, macOS, and Windows
Firefox: Requires enabling flags on Windows only
Safari: Experimental support only

Full support is as follows:

Safari 26 → Expected September 15, 2025
Chrome Android 121 → January 23, 2024
Samsung Internet 25 → April 24, 2024

Practical Implementation Guide

When to Choose WebGL

Projects requiring wide browser compatibility
When relying on proven ecosystems and libraries
When speed and stability of development are priorities

When to Consider WebGPU

Projects needing compute shaders
When aiming to fully leverage modern GPU performance
When building a future-proof tech stack

Hybrid Approach

A realistic solution is progressive enhancement.

async function initGraphicsAPI() {
  if (navigator.gpu) { try {  const adapter = await navigator.gpu.requestAdapter();  if (adapter) {      return await initWebGPU(adapter);  }  
  } catch (error) {  console.warn('WebGPU init failed, falling back to WebGL:', error);
  }}

  // WebGL fallback
  return initWebGL();
}

Learning Resources & Community

WebGL Learning Materials

WebGL Fundamentals: The most comprehensive WebGL tutorial
Three.js: A library that simplifies WebGL usage
Babylon.js: A 3D engine providing abstraction over WebGL

WebGPU Learning Materials

MDN WebGPU Docs: Official API reference
WebGPU Samples: Sample codes provided by Google
WGSL Specs: Resources for learning the shading language

Future Outlook & Development Trends

Evolution of Web Graphics

WebGPU is not just a replacement for WebGL,
but a core technology that expands computing capabilities of the web platform.

It’s expected to transform fields such as:

Web-based machine learning — Integration with TensorFlow.js
Real-time simulations — Physics, fluid dynamics, etc.
Advanced visualizations — Scientific data, medical imaging