The WorkerLocation interface defines the absolute location of the script executed by the Worker. Such an object is initialized for each worker and is available via the WorkerGlobalScope.location property obtained by calling window.self.location.
The SharedWorker interface represents a specific kind of worker that can be accessed from several browsing contexts, such as several windows, iframes or even workers. They implement an interface different than dedicated workers and have a different global scope, SharedWorkerGlobalScope.
The SharedWorkerGlobalScope object (the SharedWorker global scope) is accessible through the self keyword. Some additional global functions, namespaces objects, and constructors, not typically associated with the worker global scope, but available on it, are listed in the JavaScript Reference. See the complete list of functions available to workers.
The dump() method of the WorkerGlobalScope interface allows you to write a message to stdout — i.e. in your terminal, in Firefox only. This is the same as Firefox's window.dump, but for workers.
The AbstractWorker.onerror property of the AbstractWorker interface represents an EventHandler, that is a function to be called when the error event occurs and bubbles through the Worker.
The DedicatedWorkerGlobalScope object (the Worker global scope) is accessible through the self keyword. Some additional global functions, namespaces objects, and constructors, not typically associated with the worker global scope, but available on it, are listed in the JavaScript Reference. See also: Functions available to workers.
The postMessage() method of the DedicatedWorkerGlobalScope interface sends a message to the main thread that spawned it. This accepts a single parameter, which is the data to send to the worker. The data may be any value or JavaScript object handled by the structured clone algorithm, which includes cyclical references.
The SharedWorker() constructor creates a SharedWorker object that executes the script at the specified URL. This script must obey the same-origin policy.
Web Workers are a mechanism by which a script operation can be made to run in a background thread separate from the main execution thread of a web application. The advantage of this is that laborious processing can be performed in a separate thread, allowing the main (usually the UI) thread to run without being blocked/slowed down.
The Worker interface of the Web Workers API represents a background task that can be easily created and can send messages back to its creator. Creating a worker is as simple as calling the Worker() constructor and specifying a script to be run in the worker thread.
The onmessage property of the Worker interface represents an EventHandler, that is a function to be called when the message event occurs. These events are of type MessageEvent and will be called when the worker's parent receives a message (i.e. from the DedicatedWorkerGlobalScope.postMessage method.
The postMessage() method of the Worker interface sends a message to the worker's inner scope. This accepts a single parameter, which is the data to send to the worker. The data may be any value or JavaScript object handled by the structured clone algorithm, which includes cyclical references.