Bellum - Browser Runtime Platform

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Browser-based runtime for games and applications using emulation, virtualization, and distributed computing.

Overview

Bellum enables running retro games and applications directly in the browser:

• HTML5 Games - 20,000+ games from GameDistribution
• Windows Emulation - Windows 98 via v86 emulator
• Android Emulation - Experimental Android support
• Cloud Storage - Distributed storage via Discord/Telegram
• P2P Clustering - Distributed computing across browser instances
• Google Compute Offloading - Free cloud compute via Google Translate infrastructure
• Dual Platform Deployment - Optimized for both Vercel and Cloudflare Pages

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│            Bellum Frontend (Next.js)        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
           │                 │                │
           ▼                 ▼                ▼
    ┌──────────┐      ┌──────────┐    ┌──────────┐
    │  Games   │      │   v86    │    │  Cloud   │
    │  System  │      │ Emulator │    │ Storage  │
    └──────────┘      └──────────┘    └──────────┘
           │                 │                │
           └─────────────────┴────────────────┘
                        │
                        ▼
              ┌──────────────────┐
              │  IndexedDB/OPFS  │
              └──────────────────┘

Quick Start

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run development server
npm run dev

# Open in browser
# Navigate to http://localhost:3000

Features

• Games Page (/games) - Browse and play 20,000+ HTML5 games
• Windows Page (/windows) - Run Windows 98 in browser via v86
• Android Page (/android) - Experimental Android emulation
• Library Page (/library) - Upload and run APK/EXE files
• Storage Page (/storage) - Cloud file storage via Discord

Technology Stack

• Frontend: Next.js 15, React 19, TypeScript
• Styling: Tailwind CSS v4, Framer Motion, shadcn/ui, Magic UI
• Storage: IndexedDB (via HiberFile), Discord/Telegram webhooks
• Emulation: v86 (x86 emulator)
• Compression: fflate (gzip), optional WASM
• Auth: Firebase Authentication
• Deployment: Vercel (primary), Cloudflare Pages (unlimited bandwidth)
• Compute: Google Translate infrastructure for offloading web-based tasks

Feature Status

Currently Working

• ✅ HTML5 Games: Browse and play 20,000+ games
• ✅ Windows Emulation: Windows 98 via v86
• ✅ Cloud Storage: File storage using Discord/Telegram
• ✅ Authentication: Firebase auth with device fingerprinting
• ✅ Compression: Automatic file compression (gzip/zstd)
• ✅ Google Compute Offloading: Route web-based tasks to Google's infrastructure
• ✅ Dual Platform Support: Deploy to both Vercel and Cloudflare
• ✅ Modern UI: shadcn/ui and Magic UI components with matte design
• ✅ Security Headers: Comprehensive security hardening (HSTS, COOP/COEP, CSP)

Experimental

• ⚠️ Android Emulation: Basic Android support via v86
• ⚠️ APK/EXE Upload: File upload with basic execution
• ⚠️ P2P Clustering: Distributed computing (in development)

Not Yet Implemented

• ❌ Native Binary Execution: JIT/GPU runtime are stubs
• ❌ High Performance: No actual GPU compute or JIT
• ❌ Full OS Support: Limited to what v86 can emulate

Core Components

Games System

• XML parser for 20,000+ game catalog
• Service worker for CORS proxy
• Virtual scrolling for performance
• Game install/save to library

v86 Emulator Integration

• x86 emulation for Windows/DOS
• Disk image loading from storage
• Screen rendering to canvas
• Input handling (keyboard/mouse)

Storage System (HiberFile)

• IndexedDB for local storage
• Chunked file storage (4MB chunks)
• Compression support (gzip/zstd)
• Cloud archival to Discord/Telegram
• Hot/cold storage tiers

Experimental Features

• GPU Benchmarking: WebGPU matrix multiply benchmark
• JIT Stubs: Architecture for future JIT (not functional)
• Binary Parser: PE/DEX format detection (basic)

Browser Requirements

• Minimum: Chrome 90+, Firefox 90+, Safari 14+
• Recommended: Chrome 113+ or Edge 113+ for WebGPU features
• Required: IndexedDB support, JavaScript enabled
• Optional: SharedArrayBuffer for better performance (requires HTTPS)

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run development server
npm run dev

# Build for production (Vercel)
npm run build

# Build for Cloudflare Pages
npm run build:cloudflare

# Deploy to Cloudflare
npm run deploy:cloudflare

# Build WASM modules (optional)
npm run build:wasm

Deployment

Vercel (Recommended)

• Automatic deployment on push to main
• Fast builds (~1 min)
• 100GB/month bandwidth

Cloudflare Pages

• Unlimited bandwidth
• Edge runtime compatibility
• Build command: npm run build:cloudflare
• Output directory: .vercel/output/static

Key Features

Google Compute Offloading

• Automatically routes web-based JavaScript tasks to Google's datacenter infrastructure
• Reduces cluster load by 30-50%
• Free cloud compute for web applications
• See lib/google-compute/README.md for details

Security

• Comprehensive security headers (HSTS, COOP/COEP, CSP)
• Route-specific security policies
• Cross-origin isolation for VM routes
• Production-ready security hardening

Modern UI

• shadcn/ui components
• Magic UI effects (shimmer, gradients, animations)
• Professional matte color scheme
• Responsive design with smooth animations

Known Limitations

• Emulation Speed: v86 is significantly slower than native
• Binary Execution: Limited to what v86 can emulate
• WebGPU: Only available in Chrome/Edge 113+
• CORS: Some games may fail to load due to CORS restrictions
• Storage: Discord/Telegram have file size limits (25MB)
• Google Compute: Rate-limited, suitable for web-based tasks only

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details