p-limit vs async vs fastq vs queue vs bottleneck vs promise-queue
JavaScript Concurrency Control Libraries Comparison
1 Year
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What's JavaScript Concurrency Control Libraries?

Concurrency control libraries in JavaScript are designed to manage asynchronous operations effectively, allowing developers to control the flow of tasks, limit the number of concurrent executions, and optimize performance. These libraries provide various mechanisms to handle callbacks, promises, and async/await patterns, making it easier to work with asynchronous code and ensuring that applications remain responsive and efficient under load.

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p-limit177,256,4872,41110.3 kB97 months agoMIT
async73,369,61628,230808 kB14a year agoMIT
fastq62,981,4061,06445.9 kB185 months agoISC
queue6,033,20977319.6 kB202 years agoMIT
bottleneck4,394,3241,908-866 years agoMIT
promise-queue1,074,877230-107 years agoMIT
Feature Comparison: p-limit vs async vs fastq vs queue vs bottleneck vs promise-queue

Concurrency Control

  • p-limit:

    p-limit is designed to limit the number of concurrent promises, providing a simple API to enforce concurrency limits on asynchronous operations, which helps prevent resource exhaustion and improves performance.

  • async:

    Async provides various control flow functions such as series, parallel, and waterfall, allowing developers to manage the execution order of asynchronous tasks easily. This makes it suitable for complex workflows where task dependencies exist.

  • fastq:

    Fastq offers a straightforward way to manage a queue of tasks with a specified concurrency limit, allowing you to control how many tasks are processed simultaneously, thus optimizing resource usage and performance.

  • queue:

    Queue provides a basic structure for managing tasks, allowing both synchronous and asynchronous functions to be queued and executed in order, making it versatile for various task management scenarios.

  • bottleneck:

    Bottleneck allows you to set limits on how many times a function can be called within a specified time frame, making it ideal for rate-limiting scenarios, such as API calls or resource-heavy operations.

  • promise-queue:

    Promise Queue allows you to queue promises and control their execution order while respecting concurrency limits, making it easy to manage asynchronous workflows predictably and efficiently.

Ease of Use

  • p-limit:

    p-limit is very lightweight and easy to use, with a simple function signature that allows developers to quickly apply concurrency limits to their promise-based tasks.

  • async:

    Async has a rich set of utility functions that can simplify complex asynchronous workflows, but it may have a steeper learning curve due to its extensive API and callback-based style.

  • fastq:

    Fastq is designed for performance and simplicity, providing a minimalistic API that is easy to understand and implement, making it a good choice for developers looking for efficiency without complexity.

  • queue:

    Queue is simple and flexible, making it easy to implement and use for managing tasks, whether they are synchronous or asynchronous.

  • bottleneck:

    Bottleneck is straightforward to use with a simple API that focuses on rate limiting, making it easy to integrate into existing codebases without much overhead.

  • promise-queue:

    Promise Queue is user-friendly, with a clear API for queuing and managing promises, making it accessible for developers of all skill levels.

Performance

  • p-limit:

    p-limit is lightweight and optimized for performance, ensuring that limiting concurrency does not introduce significant overhead, making it ideal for high-throughput scenarios.

  • async:

    Async can introduce some overhead due to its extensive feature set, but it is optimized for handling complex workflows efficiently. However, for simple tasks, it may be overkill.

  • fastq:

    Fastq is designed for high performance, allowing for efficient queuing and execution of tasks with minimal overhead, making it suitable for performance-critical applications.

  • queue:

    Queue is efficient for managing task execution order, but performance may vary depending on the complexity of the tasks being managed.

  • bottleneck:

    Bottleneck is highly optimized for performance, especially in scenarios requiring strict rate limiting, ensuring that function calls are executed efficiently without exceeding limits.

  • promise-queue:

    Promise Queue is efficient in managing promise execution, ensuring that tasks are processed in a timely manner while respecting concurrency limits without unnecessary delays.

Use Cases

  • p-limit:

    p-limit is suitable for scenarios where you want to limit the number of concurrent operations, such as file uploads or network requests, to prevent overwhelming resources.

  • async:

    Async is best suited for complex workflows involving multiple asynchronous operations with dependencies, such as data processing pipelines or batch processing tasks.

  • fastq:

    Fastq is perfect for applications that require managing a queue of tasks with a defined concurrency level, such as processing jobs in a worker system or handling background tasks.

  • queue:

    Queue is versatile and can be used for various task management scenarios, including job scheduling, event handling, or managing asynchronous workflows.

  • bottleneck:

    Bottleneck is ideal for scenarios where you need to control the rate of API calls, such as scraping data from web services or interacting with rate-limited APIs.

  • promise-queue:

    Promise Queue is useful for managing a series of asynchronous tasks that need to be executed in order, such as sequential data fetching or processing tasks that depend on previous results.

Community and Support

  • p-limit:

    p-limit is actively maintained with a supportive community, offering clear documentation and examples to help developers get started quickly.

  • async:

    Async has a large community and extensive documentation, providing a wealth of resources and examples for developers, but it may be less actively maintained compared to newer libraries.

  • fastq:

    Fastq has a smaller community but is well-documented, providing sufficient resources for developers to implement and use the library effectively.

  • queue:

    Queue has a moderate community presence and provides basic documentation, making it suitable for developers who need a simple task management solution.

  • bottleneck:

    Bottleneck has a growing community and good documentation, with active maintenance and support, making it a reliable choice for developers looking for rate limiting solutions.

  • promise-queue:

    Promise Queue has decent community support and documentation, making it accessible for developers looking for a straightforward promise management solution.

How to Choose: p-limit vs async vs fastq vs queue vs bottleneck vs promise-queue
  • p-limit:

    Choose p-limit if you want a lightweight solution to limit the number of concurrent promises. It is perfect for scenarios where you need to run multiple asynchronous operations but want to restrict the number of them that can run simultaneously, helping to manage resource consumption effectively.

  • async:

    Choose Async if you need a comprehensive utility library that provides a variety of functions for working with asynchronous JavaScript, including control flow, collections, and more. It is ideal for complex workflows where you need to manage multiple asynchronous operations in a structured manner.

  • fastq:

    Choose Fastq if you need a simple and efficient queue implementation that can handle asynchronous tasks with a focus on performance. It is particularly well-suited for scenarios where you want to manage a queue of tasks with a specified concurrency level, allowing for fine-tuned control over execution order and resource usage.

  • queue:

    Choose Queue if you need a simple and flexible queue implementation for managing tasks, regardless of whether they are synchronous or asynchronous. It provides a basic structure for task management and is useful for scenarios where you want to maintain the order of execution without additional complexity.

  • bottleneck:

    Choose Bottleneck if you require precise control over the rate of function execution. It is particularly useful for scenarios like API rate limiting, where you want to ensure that a function does not exceed a certain number of calls per time period, thus preventing overload and ensuring compliance with external service limits.

  • promise-queue:

    Choose Promise Queue if you need a straightforward way to queue promises and control their execution. It is ideal for managing tasks that return promises, ensuring that they are executed in the order they were added while respecting a specified concurrency limit, making it easy to handle asynchronous workflows in a predictable manner.

README for p-limit

p-limit

Run multiple promise-returning & async functions with limited concurrency

Works in Node.js and browsers.

Install

npm install p-limit

Usage

import pLimit from 'p-limit';

const limit = pLimit(1);

const input = [
	limit(() => fetchSomething('foo')),
	limit(() => fetchSomething('bar')),
	limit(() => doSomething())
];

// Only one promise is run at once
const result = await Promise.all(input);
console.log(result);

API

pLimit(concurrency) default export

Returns a limit function.

concurrency

Type: number
Minimum: 1

Concurrency limit.

limit(fn, ...args)

Returns the promise returned by calling fn(...args).

fn

Type: Function

Promise-returning/async function.

args

Any arguments to pass through to fn.

Support for passing arguments on to the fn is provided in order to be able to avoid creating unnecessary closures. You probably don't need this optimization unless you're pushing a lot of functions.

limit.activeCount

The number of promises that are currently running.

limit.pendingCount

The number of promises that are waiting to run (i.e. their internal fn was not called yet).

limit.clearQueue()

Discard pending promises that are waiting to run.

This might be useful if you want to teardown the queue at the end of your program's lifecycle or discard any function calls referencing an intermediary state of your app.

Note: This does not cancel promises that are already running.

limit.concurrency

Get or set the concurrency limit.

limitFunction(fn, options) named export

Returns a function with limited concurrency.

The returned function manages its own concurrent executions, allowing you to call it multiple times without exceeding the specified concurrency limit.

Ideal for scenarios where you need to control the number of simultaneous executions of a single function, rather than managing concurrency across multiple functions.

import {limitFunction} from 'p-limit';

const limitedFunction = limitFunction(async () => {
	return doSomething();
}, {concurrency: 1});

const input = Array.from({length: 10}, limitedFunction);

// Only one promise is run at once.
await Promise.all(input);

fn

Type: Function

Promise-returning/async function.

options

Type: object

concurrency

Type: number
Minimum: 1

Concurrency limit.

FAQ

How is this different from the p-queue package?

This package is only about limiting the number of concurrent executions, while p-queue is a fully featured queue implementation with lots of different options, introspection, and ability to pause the queue.

Related

  • p-throttle - Throttle promise-returning & async functions
  • p-debounce - Debounce promise-returning & async functions
  • p-all - Run promise-returning & async functions concurrently with optional limited concurrency
  • More…