Asynchronous JavaScript

In this module, we take a look at asynchronous JavaScript, why it is important, and how it can be used to effectively handle potential blocking operations, such as fetching resources from a server.

Prerequisites

Asynchronous JavaScript is a fairly advanced topic, and you are advised to work through Dynamic scripting with JavaScript modules before attempting this.

Note: If you are working on a computer, tablet, or another device where you can't create files, you can try running the code in an online editor such as CodePen or JSFiddle.

Tutorials and challenges

Introducing asynchronous JavaScript

In this article, we'll learn about synchronous and asynchronous programming, why we often need to use asynchronous techniques, and the problems related to the way asynchronous functions have historically been implemented in JavaScript.

How to use promises

Here we'll introduce promises and show how to use promise-based APIs. We'll also introduce the async and await keywords.

Implementing a promise-based API

This article will outline how to implement your own promise-based API.

Introducing workers

Workers enable you to run certain tasks in a separate thread to keep your main code responsive. In this article, we'll rewrite a long-running synchronous function to use a worker.

Sequencing animations Challenge

This challenge asks you to use promises to play a set of animations in a particular sequence.

See also