How to create a Web Worker from a string

I agree with the current accepted answer but often editing and managing the worker code will be hectic as its in the form of a string.

So optionally we can use the below approach where we can keep the worker as a function, and then covert to string->blob:

// function to be your worker
function workerFunction() {
    var self = this;
    self.onmessage = function(e) {
        console.log('Received input: ', e.data); // message received from main thread
        self.postMessage("Response back to main thread");
    }
}


///////////////////////////////

var dataObj = '(' + workerFunction + ')();'; // here is the trick to convert the above fucntion to string
var blob = new Blob([dataObj.replace('"use strict";', '')]); // firefox adds "use strict"; to any function which might block worker execution so knock it off

var blobURL = (window.URL ? URL : webkitURL).createObjectURL(blob, {
    type: 'application/javascript; charset=utf-8'
});


var worker = new Worker(blobURL); // spawn new worker

worker.onmessage = function(e) {
    console.log('Worker said: ', e.data); // message received from worker
};
worker.postMessage("some input to worker"); // Send data to our worker.

This is tested in IE11+ and FF and Chrome

Summary

• blob: for Chrome 8+, Firefox 6+, Safari 6.0+, Opera 15+
• data:application/javascript for Opera 10.60 - 12
• eval otherwise (IE 10+)

URL.createObjectURL(<Blob blob>) can be used to create a Web worker from a string. The blob can be created using the BlobBuilder API ^deprecated or the Blob constructor.

Demo: http://jsfiddle.net/uqcFM/49/

// URL.createObjectURL
window.URL = window.URL || window.webkitURL;

// "Server response", used in all examples
var response = "self.onmessage=function(e){postMessage('Worker: '+e.data);}";

var blob;
try {
    blob = new Blob([response], {type: 'application/javascript'});
} catch (e) { // Backwards-compatibility
    window.BlobBuilder = window.BlobBuilder || window.WebKitBlobBuilder || window.MozBlobBuilder;
    blob = new BlobBuilder();
    blob.append(response);
    blob = blob.getBlob();
}
var worker = new Worker(URL.createObjectURL(blob));

// Test, used in all examples:
worker.onmessage = function(e) {
    alert('Response: ' + e.data);
};
worker.postMessage('Test');

Compatibility

Web workers are supported in the following browsers ^source:

• Chrome 3
• Firefox 3.5
• IE 10
• Opera 10.60
• Safari 4

This method's support is based on the support of the Blob API and the URL.createObjectUrl method. Blob compatibility:

• Chrome 8+ (WebKitBlobBuilder), 20+ (Blob constructor)
• Firefox 6+ (MozBlobBuilder), 13+ (Blob constructor)
• Safari 6+ (Blob constructor)

IE10 supports MSBlobBuilder and URL.createObjectURL. However, trying to create a Web Worker from a blob:-URL throws a SecurityError.

Opera 12 does not support URL API. Some users may have a fake version of the URL object, thanks to this hack in browser.js.

Fallback 1: data-URI

Opera supports data-URIs as an argument to the Worker constructor. Note: Do not forget to escape special characters (Such as # and %).

// response as defined in the first example
var worker = new Worker('data:application/javascript,' +
                        encodeURIComponent(response) );
// ... Test as defined in the first example

Demo: http://jsfiddle.net/uqcFM/37/

Fallback 2: Eval

eval can be used as a fallback for Safari (<6) and IE 10.

// Worker-helper.js
self.onmessage = function(e) {
    self.onmessage = null; // Clean-up
    eval(e.data);
};
// Usage:
var worker = new Worker('Worker-helper.js');
// `response` as defined in the first example
worker.postMessage(response);
// .. Test as defined in the first example