A real-world use case for asynchronous functions would be when making a request to a server.
The request is sent asynchronously, which means that the rest of the code can continue to execute while the request is being processed.
This can be helpful in situations where you do not want the code to be blocked while waiting for a response.
. What are some alternatives to asynchronous programming?
Why would you choose them over the latter?
Some alternatives to asynchronous programming include:
– Event-driven programming: This is a programming paradigm where the flow of execution is determined by events.
This can be a more efficient way to handle concurrency, as it allows the program to respond to events as they happen, rather than having to wait for a specific task to finish before moving on.
– Parallel programming: This is a type of programming where multiple threads of execution are running at the same time.
This can be used to improve performance by taking advantage of multiple processors or cores.
– Reactive programming: This is a programming paradigm where the program reacts to changes in the environment.
This can be used to create more responsive and responsive applications.
Collecting results by calling multiple services then compile a coming response.
Rx is a popular tool in distributed systems which works exactly opposite to legacy flows.
When to use async
Asynchronous programming should only be used in programming independent tasks, where it plays a critical role.
For instance, asynchronous programs are ideal for development projects with a large number of iterations.
Because steps don’t have to follow a fixed sequence, asynchronous programming keeps development moving forward.
Responsive UI is a great use case for asynchronous planning.
Take, for example, a shopping app. When a user pulls up their order, the font size should increase.
Instead of first waiting to load the history and update the font size, asynchronous programming can make both actions happen simultaneously.
When to use sync
Asynchronous programming is relatively complex.
It can overcomplicate things and make code difficult to read.
Synchronous programming, on the other hand, is fairly straightforward; its code is easier to write and doesn’t require tracking and measuring process flows (as async does).
Because tasks are dependent on each other, there’s a need to know if they could run independently without interrupting each other.
Synchronous programming could be appropriate for a shopping app, for example.
When checking out online, a user wants to buy all of their items together, not individually.
Instead of completing an order every time the user adds something to their cart, synchronous programming ensures that the payment method and shipping destination for all items are selected at the same time.