async vs fastq
Node.js Control Flow Libraries Comparison
Search packages..
1 Year
asyncfastqSimilar Packages:
What's Node.js Control Flow Libraries?

Both 'async' and 'fastq' are libraries designed to help manage asynchronous operations in Node.js. They provide mechanisms to control the flow of asynchronous functions, making it easier to write and maintain code that involves multiple asynchronous tasks. 'async' is a well-established library offering a wide range of utilities for working with asynchronous JavaScript, while 'fastq' is a more specialized library that focuses on creating queues for asynchronous functions, allowing for more efficient task management and execution.

Package Weekly Downloads Trend
Github Stars Ranking
Stat Detail
Package
Downloads
Stars
Size
Issues
Publish
License
async73,910,47828,231808 kB14a year agoMIT
fastq62,096,1851,06445.9 kB185 months agoISC
Feature Comparison: async vs fastq

Control Flow Management

  • async:

    The 'async' library provides a rich set of functions for managing control flow in asynchronous operations, including 'series', 'parallel', 'waterfall', and 'queue'. This allows developers to easily structure their code to handle complex asynchronous workflows without deeply nested callbacks, promoting better readability and maintainability.

  • fastq:

    'fastq' focuses specifically on queue management for asynchronous tasks. It allows you to create a queue that can process tasks in a controlled manner, specifying concurrency levels and handling task completion. This is particularly useful for scenarios where you want to limit the number of concurrent operations to avoid overwhelming resources.

Performance

  • async:

    While 'async' is versatile, its extensive feature set can introduce some overhead, especially in scenarios with high concurrency. It is generally performant, but for very high-throughput applications, the additional abstractions may lead to slower execution compared to more specialized libraries.

  • fastq:

    'fastq' is designed for performance and efficiency, particularly in managing queues of tasks. It has a lightweight design that minimizes overhead, making it suitable for high-performance applications where task management is critical.

Ease of Use

  • async:

    'async' is user-friendly and provides a variety of functions that can be easily integrated into existing codebases. Its extensive documentation and community support make it accessible for developers of all skill levels, although the variety of options may initially overwhelm new users.

  • fastq:

    'fastq' has a simpler API focused on queue management, making it easy to implement for specific use cases. However, it may require a deeper understanding of how queues work in asynchronous programming, which could pose a learning curve for some developers.

Use Cases

  • async:

    Ideal for applications that require complex workflows involving multiple asynchronous operations, such as data processing pipelines, API calls, and event handling. Its flexibility allows it to adapt to various scenarios, making it a go-to choice for many Node.js developers.

  • fastq:

    Best suited for scenarios where task management is crucial, such as processing jobs from a queue, handling rate-limited APIs, or managing background tasks. Its focus on concurrency control makes it a powerful tool for optimizing resource usage.

Community and Support

  • async:

    Being one of the oldest and most widely used libraries for asynchronous programming in Node.js, 'async' has a large community and extensive documentation. This ensures that developers can find support and resources easily, making it a reliable choice for many projects.

  • fastq:

    While 'fastq' is less popular than 'async', it is still well-maintained and has a growing community. Its focused functionality means that the documentation is straightforward, but developers may find fewer resources compared to 'async'.

How to Choose: async vs fastq
  • async:

    Choose 'async' if you need a comprehensive set of utilities for handling asynchronous operations, including functions for parallel execution, series execution, and flow control. It's ideal for complex workflows where you need a variety of control structures.

  • fastq:

    Choose 'fastq' if your primary requirement is to manage a queue of asynchronous tasks efficiently. It is particularly useful when you need to limit the number of concurrent operations or when you want to prioritize certain tasks in a queue.

Similar Npm Packages to async

async is a utility module that provides powerful functions for working with asynchronous JavaScript. It simplifies the process of managing asynchronous operations, allowing developers to write cleaner and more maintainable code. With features like parallel execution, series execution, and control flow, async is particularly useful for handling complex asynchronous workflows. However, there are several alternatives in the JavaScript ecosystem that also provide similar functionalities. Here are a few notable ones:

  • bluebird is a fully-featured promise library that offers a wide range of utilities for working with promises. It enhances the native Promise functionality by providing additional features such as cancellation, progress tracking, and more robust error handling. bluebird is known for its performance and is a great choice for developers looking for an advanced promise library that can handle complex asynchronous tasks with ease.

  • p-map is a lightweight utility that allows you to map over an array asynchronously, executing a provided function for each element in parallel. It is particularly useful when you need to perform asynchronous operations on an array of items and want to control the concurrency level. p-map is simple to use and can be a great alternative for scenarios where you need to process multiple asynchronous tasks without the overhead of a larger library.

  • q is another promise library that focuses on providing a simple and straightforward API for working with asynchronous code. It was one of the earlier promise libraries in the JavaScript ecosystem and offers features like chaining, error handling, and more. While it may not be as feature-rich as some of the newer libraries, q is still a solid choice for developers looking for a lightweight solution for managing asynchronous operations.

To see how async compares with bluebird, p-map, and q, check out the comparison: Comparing async vs bluebird vs p-map vs q.

Similar Npm Packages to fastq

fastq is a fast and efficient queue implementation for Node.js, designed to handle asynchronous tasks. It allows developers to manage and process tasks in a controlled manner, providing features like concurrency control and task prioritization. Fastq is particularly useful in scenarios where you need to execute multiple asynchronous operations while maintaining performance and resource management.

While fastq is a powerful tool for managing asynchronous tasks, there are several alternatives available in the Node.js ecosystem that offer similar functionality. Here are a few noteworthy options:

  • async is a well-known utility module that provides a variety of functions for working with asynchronous JavaScript. It includes features for managing parallel and series execution of tasks, as well as control flow functions. Async is a comprehensive library that can handle a wide range of asynchronous patterns, making it a versatile choice for many developers.
  • bottleneck is a powerful rate-limiting library for JavaScript, designed to manage the execution of asynchronous functions while controlling the rate at which they are called. Bottleneck is particularly useful when dealing with APIs that have rate limits or when you want to prevent overwhelming a resource with too many concurrent requests. Its features include priority queuing, scheduling, and automatic retries, making it a robust option for managing asynchronous tasks.
  • p-limit is a simple utility for limiting the number of concurrent promises. It allows you to create a function that can only run a specified number of promises at a time, which can help prevent resource exhaustion and improve performance. P-limit is lightweight and easy to use, making it a great choice for developers looking for a straightforward solution to concurrency control.
  • promise-queue is a promise-based queue implementation that allows you to manage the execution of asynchronous tasks in a controlled manner. It provides features for limiting concurrency and managing the order of task execution. Promise-queue is particularly useful when you need to ensure that tasks are executed in a specific order while still maintaining control over concurrency.
  • queue is a simple and flexible queue implementation for Node.js that allows you to manage asynchronous tasks. It provides features for controlling concurrency, prioritizing tasks, and handling task completion. Queue is easy to use and can be a good choice for developers looking for a straightforward way to manage asynchronous operations.

To see how fastq compares with async, bottleneck, p-limit, promise-queue, and queue, check out the comparison: Comparing async vs bottleneck vs fastq vs p-limit vs promise-queue vs queue.

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)
})
npm-compare.com is an independent website designed to help developers choose the most suitable npm packages. We are not affiliated with npm, Inc or npmjs.com, the official website for the npm registry. Please note that npm is a registered trademark of npm, Inc. For more details, please refer to our Terms & Privacy.