doc: add basic embedding example documentation

addaleax · addaleax · commit 1a7082052fb3 · 2020-09-23T20:02:19.000+02:00
Backport-PR-URL: #35241 PR-URL: #30467 Reviewed-By: James M Snell <jasnell@gmail.com> Reviewed-By: Gireesh Punathil <gpunathi@in.ibm.com>
diff --git a/doc/api/embedding.md b/doc/api/embedding.md
@@ -0,0 +1,226 @@
+# C++ Embedder API
+
+<!--introduced_in=REPLACEME-->
+
+Node.js provides a number of C++ APIs that can be used to execute JavaScript
+in a Node.js environment from other C++ software.
+
+The documentation for these APIs can be found in [src/node.h][] in the Node.js
+source tree. In addition to the APIs exposed by Node.js, some required concepts
+are provided by the V8 embedder API.
+
+Because using Node.js as an embedded library is different from writing code
+that is executed by Node.js, breaking changes do not follow typical Node.js
+[deprecation policy][] and may occur on each semver-major release without prior
+warning.
+
+## Example embedding application
+
+The following sections will provide an overview over how to use these APIs
+to create an application from scratch that will perform the equivalent of
+`node -e <code>`, i.e. that will take a piece of JavaScript and run it in
+a Node.js-specific environment.
+
+The full code can be found [in the Node.js source tree][embedtest.cc].
+
+### Setting up per-process state
+
+Node.js requires some per-process state management in order to run:
+
+* Arguments parsing for Node.js [CLI options][],
+* V8 per-process requirements, such as a `v8::Platform` instance.
+
+The following example shows how these can be set up. Some class names are from
+the `node` and `v8` C++ namespaces, respectively.
+
+```cpp
+int main(int argc, char** argv) {
+  std::vector<std::string> args(argv, argv + argc);
+  std::vector<std::string> exec_args;
+  std::vector<std::string> errors;
+  // Parse Node.js CLI options, and print any errors that have occurred while
+  // trying to parse them.
+  int exit_code = node::InitializeNodeWithArgs(&args, &exec_args, &errors);
+  for (const std::string& error : errors)
+    fprintf(stderr, "%s: %s\n", args[0].c_str(), error.c_str());
+  if (exit_code != 0) {
+    return exit_code;
+  }
+
+  // Create a v8::Platform instance. `MultiIsolatePlatform::Create()` is a way
+  // to create a v8::Platform instance that Node.js can use when creating
+  // Worker threads. When no `MultiIsolatePlatform` instance is present,
+  // Worker threads are disabled.
+  std::unique_ptr<MultiIsolatePlatform> platform =
+      MultiIsolatePlatform::Create(4);
+  V8::InitializePlatform(platform.get());
+  V8::Initialize();
+
+  // See below for the contents of this function.
+  int ret = RunNodeInstance(platform.get(), args, exec_args);
+
+  V8::Dispose();
+  V8::ShutdownPlatform();
+  return ret;
+}
+```
+
+### Per-instance state
+
+Node.js has a concept of a &ldquo;Node.js instance&rdquo;, that is commonly being referred
+to as `node::Environment`. Each `node::Environment` is associated with:
+
+* Exactly one `v8::Isolate`, i.e. one JS Engine instance,
+* Exactly one `uv_loop_t`, i.e. one event loop, and
+* A number of `v8::Context`s, but exactly one main `v8::Context`.
+* One `node::IsolateData` instance that contains information that could be
+  shared by multiple `node::Environment`s that use the same `v8::Isolate`.
+  Currently, no testing if performed for this scenario.
+
+In order to set up a `v8::Isolate`, an `v8::ArrayBuffer::Allocator` needs
+to be provided. One possible choice is the default Node.js allocator, which
+can be created through `node::ArrayBufferAllocator::Create()`. Using the Node.js
+allocator allows minor performance optimizations when addons use the Node.js
+C++ `Buffer` API, and is required in order to track `ArrayBuffer` memory in
+[`process.memoryUsage()`][].
+
+Additionally, each `v8::Isolate` that is used for a Node.js instance needs to
+be registered and unregistered with the `MultiIsolatePlatform` instance, if one
+is being used, in order for the platform to know which event loop to use
+for tasks scheduled by the `v8::Isolate`.
+
+The `node::NewIsolate()` helper function creates a `v8::Isolate`,
+sets it up with some Node.js-specific hooks (e.g. the Node.js error handler),
+and registers it with the platform automatically.
+
+```cpp
+int RunNodeInstance(MultiIsolatePlatform* platform,
+                    const std::vector<std::string>& args,
+                    const std::vector<std::string>& exec_args) {
+  int exit_code = 0;
+  // Set up a libuv event loop.
+  uv_loop_t loop;
+  int ret = uv_loop_init(&loop);
+  if (ret != 0) {
+    fprintf(stderr, "%s: Failed to initialize loop: %s\n",
+            args[0].c_str(),
+            uv_err_name(ret));
+    return 1;
+  }
+
+  std::shared_ptr<ArrayBufferAllocator> allocator =
+      ArrayBufferAllocator::Create();
+
+  Isolate* isolate = NewIsolate(allocator, &loop, platform);
+  if (isolate == nullptr) {
+    fprintf(stderr, "%s: Failed to initialize V8 Isolate\n", args[0].c_str());
+    return 1;
+  }
+
+  {
+    Locker locker(isolate);
+    Isolate::Scope isolate_scope(isolate);
+
+    // Create a node::IsolateData instance that will later be released using
+    // node::FreeIsolateData().
+    std::unique_ptr<IsolateData, decltype(&node::FreeIsolateData)> isolate_data(
+        node::CreateIsolateData(isolate, &loop, platform, allocator.get()),
+        node::FreeIsolateData);
+
+    // Set up a new v8::Context.
+    HandleScope handle_scope(isolate);
+    Local<Context> context = node::NewContext(isolate);
+    if (context.IsEmpty()) {
+      fprintf(stderr, "%s: Failed to initialize V8 Context\n", args[0].c_str());
+      return 1;
+    }
+
+    // The v8::Context needs to be entered when node::CreateEnvironment() and
+    // node::LoadEnvironment() are being called.
+    Context::Scope context_scope(context);
+
+    // Create a node::Environment instance that will later be released using
+    // node::FreeEnvironment().
+    std::unique_ptr<Environment, decltype(&node::FreeEnvironment)> env(
+        node::CreateEnvironment(isolate_data.get(), context, args, exec_args),
+        node::FreeEnvironment);
+
+    // Set up the Node.js instance for execution, and run code inside of it.
+    // There is also a variant that takes a callback and provides it with
+    // the `require` and `process` objects, so that it can manually compile
+    // and run scripts as needed.
+    // The `require` function inside this script does *not* access the file
+    // system, and can only load built-in Node.js modules.
+    // `module.createRequire()` is being used to create one that is able to
+    // load files from the disk, and uses the standard CommonJS file loader
+    // instead of the internal-only `require` function.
+    MaybeLocal<Value> loadenv_ret = node::LoadEnvironment(
+        env.get(),
+        "const publicRequire ="
+        "  require('module').createRequire(process.cwd() + '/');"
+        "globalThis.require = publicRequire;"
+        "require('vm').runInThisContext(process.argv[1]);");
+
+    if (loadenv_ret.IsEmpty())  // There has been a JS exception.
+      return 1;
+
+    {
+      // SealHandleScope protects against handle leaks from callbacks.
+      SealHandleScope seal(isolate);
+      bool more;
+      do {
+        uv_run(&loop, UV_RUN_DEFAULT);
+
+        // V8 tasks on background threads may end up scheduling new tasks in the
+        // foreground, which in turn can keep the event loop going. For example,
+        // WebAssembly.compile() may do so.
+        platform->DrainTasks(isolate);
+
+        // If there are new tasks, continue.
+        more = uv_loop_alive(&loop);
+        if (more) continue;
+
+        // node::EmitBeforeExit() is used to emit the 'beforeExit' event on
+        // the `process` object.
+        node::EmitBeforeExit(env.get());
+
+        // 'beforeExit' can also schedule new work that keeps the event loop
+        // running.
+        more = uv_loop_alive(&loop);
+      } while (more == true);
+    }
+
+    // node::EmitExit() returns the current exit code.
+    exit_code = node::EmitExit(env.get());
+
+    // node::Stop() can be used to explicitly stop the event loop and keep
+    // further JavaScript from running. It can be called from any thread,
+    // and will act like worker.terminate() if called from another thread.
+    node::Stop(env.get());
+  }
+
+  // Unregister the Isolate with the platform and add a listener that is called
+  // when the Platform is done cleaning up any state it had associated with
+  // the Isolate.
+  bool platform_finished = false;
+  platform->AddIsolateFinishedCallback(isolate, [](void* data) {
+    *static_cast<bool*>(data) = true;
+  }, &platform_finished);
+  platform->UnregisterIsolate(isolate);
+  isolate->Dispose();
+
+  // Wait until the platform has cleaned up all relevant resources.
+  while (!platform_finished)
+    uv_run(&loop, UV_RUN_ONCE);
+  int err = uv_loop_close(&loop);
+  assert(err == 0);
+
+  return exit_code;
+}
+```
+
+[`process.memoryUsage()`]: process.html#process_process_memoryusage
+[CLI options]: cli.html
+[deprecation policy]: deprecations.html
+[embedtest.cc]: https://github.com/nodejs/node/blob/master/test/embedding/embedtest.cc
+[src/node.h]: https://github.com/nodejs/node/blob/master/src/node.h
diff --git a/doc/api/index.md b/doc/api/index.md
@@ -13,9 +13,10 @@
 * [Assertion testing](assert.html)
 * [Async hooks](async_hooks.html)
 * [Buffer](buffer.html)
-* [C++ addons](addons.html)
-* [C/C++ addons with N-API](n-api.html)
-* [Child processes](child_process.html)
+* [C++ Addons](addons.html)
+* [C/C++ Addons with N-API](n-api.html)
+* [C++ Embedder API](embedding.html)
+* [Child Processes](child_process.html)
 * [Cluster](cluster.html)
 * [Command line options](cli.html)
 * [Console](console.html)
