JavaScript Promise Libraries Comparison
async vs p-map vs bluebird vs q
1 Year
asyncp-mapbluebirdqSimilar Packages:
What's JavaScript Promise Libraries?

JavaScript Promise libraries are essential tools for handling asynchronous operations in a more manageable and readable way. They provide various utilities to work with promises, enabling developers to write cleaner code while avoiding callback hell. These libraries enhance the native Promise API, offering additional features such as concurrency control, error handling, and improved performance. By leveraging these libraries, developers can streamline their asynchronous workflows, making it easier to compose and manage complex asynchronous tasks in their applications.

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async57,529,51728,208808 kB64 months agoMIT
p-map42,947,9511,37421.2 kB1211 days agoMIT
bluebird27,124,73120,448-1225 years agoMIT
q10,435,61814,926-116-MIT
Feature Comparison: async vs p-map vs bluebird vs q

Concurrency Control

  • async:

    Async provides various functions that allow you to control the concurrency of asynchronous operations, such as async.parallelLimit and async.eachLimit, making it easy to manage how many tasks run simultaneously.

  • p-map:

    P-map is specifically designed for concurrency control, allowing you to set a limit on how many promises are executed concurrently. This feature is essential for managing resources effectively when dealing with multiple asynchronous operations.

  • bluebird:

    Bluebird offers built-in support for concurrency control through methods like Promise.map with a concurrency option, allowing you to specify how many promises to run in parallel, which is particularly useful for resource-intensive tasks.

  • q:

    Q does not provide built-in concurrency control features, focusing instead on basic promise functionality. For concurrency control, additional logic would need to be implemented manually.

Error Handling

  • async:

    Async provides robust error handling capabilities through its callback-based approach, allowing you to handle errors at each step of the asynchronous flow, which can be particularly useful in complex workflows.

  • p-map:

    P-map allows you to handle errors in the mapping function, and if an error occurs, it will reject the promise, making it easier to manage errors in a concurrent mapping scenario.

  • bluebird:

    Bluebird enhances error handling with its promise chaining capabilities, allowing you to catch errors at any point in the promise chain using .catch(). It also supports Promise.try for wrapping synchronous code in a promise, making error handling more straightforward.

  • q:

    Q provides basic error handling through promise rejection, allowing you to catch errors using .catch(), but lacks the advanced error handling features found in other libraries.

Performance

  • async:

    Async is optimized for performance in managing asynchronous control flows, but its callback-based nature may introduce some overhead compared to promise-based libraries.

  • p-map:

    P-map is lightweight and designed for performance when mapping over asynchronous operations, ensuring that it does not introduce significant overhead while managing concurrency.

  • bluebird:

    Bluebird is known for its high performance, particularly in promise-heavy applications. It is optimized for speed and can outperform native promises in many scenarios due to its efficient implementation.

  • q:

    Q is relatively simple and performs adequately for basic promise functionality, but it may not match the performance optimizations found in more feature-rich libraries like Bluebird.

Learning Curve

  • async:

    Async has a moderate learning curve due to its callback-based API, which may require developers to familiarize themselves with its various functions and control flow patterns.

  • p-map:

    P-map has a low learning curve, especially for developers familiar with the native Promise API, as it provides a straightforward method for mapping over asynchronous tasks.

  • bluebird:

    Bluebird has a relatively gentle learning curve for those already familiar with promises, as it extends the native Promise API with additional features that are easy to grasp.

  • q:

    Q is easy to learn for beginners, as it offers a simple and intuitive API for working with promises, making it a good choice for those new to asynchronous programming.

Extensibility

  • async:

    Async is highly extensible, allowing developers to create custom control flow functions and integrate them into their workflows, making it suitable for complex applications.

  • p-map:

    P-map is focused on a specific use case (mapping with concurrency) and is not designed for extensibility beyond that, making it less flexible than the other libraries.

  • bluebird:

    Bluebird is also extensible, providing a range of utility methods that can be combined to create powerful asynchronous workflows, and it supports promisifying existing APIs easily.

  • q:

    Q is less extensible compared to others, as it primarily focuses on basic promise functionality without offering extensive utility methods or customization options.

How to Choose: async vs p-map vs bluebird vs q
  • async:

    Choose Async if you need a versatile library that provides a rich set of functions for working with asynchronous JavaScript, including control flow functions like series, parallel, and waterfall. It is particularly useful for managing multiple asynchronous operations and offers a straightforward API for handling callbacks.

  • p-map:

    Choose p-map if you need a lightweight library specifically designed for mapping over asynchronous operations with concurrency control. It allows you to limit the number of concurrent promises, making it ideal for scenarios where you want to avoid overwhelming resources while processing multiple asynchronous tasks.

  • bluebird:

    Choose Bluebird if you require a high-performance promise library with extensive features such as cancellation, progress tracking, and a variety of utility methods for working with promises. Bluebird is optimized for speed and can significantly improve performance in promise-heavy applications.

  • q:

    Choose Q if you are looking for a simple and easy-to-use promise library that provides a clean API for working with promises. It is particularly useful for projects that require basic promise functionality without the overhead of additional features.

README for async

Async Logo

Github Actions CI status NPM version Coverage Status Join the chat at https://gitter.im/caolan/async jsDelivr Hits

Async is a utility module which provides straight-forward, powerful functions for working with asynchronous JavaScript. Although originally designed for use with Node.js and installable via npm i async, it can also be used directly in the browser. An ESM/MJS version is included in the main async package that should automatically be used with compatible bundlers such as Webpack and Rollup.

A pure ESM version of Async is available as async-es.

For Documentation, visit https://caolan.github.io/async/

For Async v1.5.x documentation, go HERE

// for use with Node-style callbacks...
var async = require("async");

var obj = {dev: "/dev.json", test: "/test.json", prod: "/prod.json"};
var configs = {};

async.forEachOf(obj, (value, key, callback) => {
    fs.readFile(__dirname + value, "utf8", (err, data) => {
        if (err) return callback(err);
        try {
            configs[key] = JSON.parse(data);
        } catch (e) {
            return callback(e);
        }
        callback();
    });
}, err => {
    if (err) console.error(err.message);
    // configs is now a map of JSON data
    doSomethingWith(configs);
});
var async = require("async");

// ...or ES2017 async functions
async.mapLimit(urls, 5, async function(url) {
    const response = await fetch(url)
    return response.body
}, (err, results) => {
    if (err) throw err
    // results is now an array of the response bodies
    console.log(results)
})