I am trying to understand how to use Koa.
https://github.com/unixfox/pupflare/blob/master/index.js
The above example uses something like the following.
(async () => {
...
app.use(async ctx => {
But the following Koa tutorial does not show this usage.
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/koajs/koajs_quick_guide.htm
Why are these structures necessary? When is it essential to use them?
As stated arleady in the comments, the async/await pattern is nothing that is related to koa. This is a pattern that was added to ECMAScript 2017.
Imagine you have something like this: e.g. a promise function that gets data from your database. You would probably write it this way:
app.use(ctx => {
getData().then(data => {
ctx.body = data;
});
})
The idea behind the async/await pattern is, that you can write async code without the need to make callbacks or the use of .then(...).
await can be put in front of any async promise-based function to pause your code on that line until the promise fulfills, then return the resulting value. This works only inside a function that is anotated with async
So with this pattern, your code could look like this:
app.use(async ctx => {
data = await getData();
ctx.body = data;
})
Now the code is a little bit more readable. Just imagine more complex code, here it can really make a huge difference.
Related
I am looking for a answer on what to use in my nodeJS app.
I have code which handles my generic dB access to mssql. This code is written using an async functions and then I used a promise to call that function and all works fine.
As my app is getting bigger and code larger I am planning to move some of the logic into functions and then call them.
So my question is: is there a drawback to using a mix of async/await and promises or does it really not matter?
Async / await makes it easier to write more readable code as I have to read and write to multiple db’s before I return something and I need results of some of these.
So the question is what is the better approach?
Async / await on dB layer that’s set and can’t change
The logic layer async / await which would allow me a async / and await on the function call or if I go with promise for logic then I am stuck with promise on function call.
So I hope someone can give me more insight if one has more advantages than the other, besides being able to write cleaner code.
async/await and promises are closely related. async functions return promises, and await is syntactic sugar for waiting for a promise to be resolved.
The only drawback from having a mix of promises and async functions might be readability and maintainability of the code, but you can certainly use the return value of async functions as promises as well as await for regular functions that return a promise.
Whether you choose one vs the other mostly depends on availability (does your node.js / browser support async?) and on your aesthetic preference, but a good rule of thumb (based on my own preference at the time of writing) could be:
If you need to run asynchronous code in series: consider using async/await:
return asyncFunction()
.then(result => f1(result))
.then(result2 => f2(result2));
vs
const result = await asyncFunction();
const result2 = await f1(result);
return await f2(result2);
If you need nested promises: use async/await:
return asyncFunction()
.then(result => {
return f1(result)
.then(result2 => f2(result, result2);
})
vs
const result = await asyncFunction();
const result2 = await f1(result);
return await f2(result, result2);
If you need to run it in parallel: use promises.
return Promise.all(arrayOfIDs.map(id => asyncFn(id)))
It has been suggested you can use await within an expression to await multiple tasks like so:
*note, this still awaits in sequence from left to right, which is OK if you don't expect errors. Otherwise the behaviour is different due to fail fast behaviour of Promise.all()
const [r1, r2, r3] = [await task1, await task2, await task3];
(async function() {
function t1(t) {
console.time(`task ${t}`);
console.log(`start task ${t}`);
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
console.timeEnd(`task ${t}`);
resolve();
}, t);
})
}
console.log('Create Promises');
const task1 = t1(100);
const task2 = t1(200);
const task3 = t1(10);
console.log('Await for each task');
const [r1, r2, r3] = [await task1, await task2, await task3];
console.log('Done');
}())
But as with Promise.all, the parallel promises need to be properly handled in case of an error. You can read more about that here.
Be careful not to confuse the previous code with the following:
let [r1, r2] = [await t1(100), await t2(200)];
function t1(t) {
console.time(`task ${t}`);
console.log(`start task ${t}`);
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
console.timeEnd(`task ${t}`);
resolve();
}, t);
})
}
console.log('Promise');
Promise.all([t1(100), t1(200), t1(10)]).then(async() => {
console.log('Await');
let [r1, r2, r3] = [await t1(100), await t1(200), await t1(10)]
});
Using these two methods is not equivalent. Read more about the difference.
In the end, Promise.all is a cleaner approach that scales better to an arbitrary number of tasks.
Actually it depends on your node version, But if you can use async/await then your code will be more readable and easier to maintain.
When you define a function as 'async' then it returns a native Promise, and when you call it using await it executes Promise.then.
Note:
Put your await calls inside a try/catch, because if the Promise fails it issues 'catch' which you can handle inside the catch block.
try{
let res1 = await your-async-function(parameters);
let res2 = await your-promise-function(parameters);
await your-async-or-promise-function(parameters);
}
catch(ex){
// your error handler goes here
// error is caused by any of your called functions which fails its promise
// this methods breaks your call chain
}
also you can handle your 'catch' like this:
let result = await your-asyncFunction(parameters).catch((error)=>{//your error handler goes here});
this method mentioned does not produce an exception so the execution goes on.
I do not think there is any performance difference between async/await other than the native Promise module implementation.
I would suggest to use bluebird module instead of native promise built into node.
At this point the only reason to use Promises is to call multiple asynchronous jobs using Promise.all() Otherwise you’re usually better with async/await or Observables.
Its depending upon what approach you are good with, both promise and async/await are good, but if you want to write asynchronous code, using synchronous code structure you should use async/await approach.Like following example, a function return user with both Promise or async/await style.
if we use Promise:
function getFirstUser() {
return getUsers().then(function(users) {
return users[0].name;
}).catch(function(err) {
return {
name: 'default user'
};
});
}
if we use aysnc/await
async function getFirstUser() {
try {
let users = await getUsers();
return users[0].name;
} catch (err) {
return {
name: 'default user'
};
}
}
Here in promise approach we need a thenable structure to follow and in async/await approach we use 'await' to hold execution of asynchronous function.
you can checkout this link for more clarity Visit https://medium.com/#bluepnume/learn-about-promises-before-you-start-using-async-await-eb148164a9c8
Yesterday I made a tentative decision to switch from using Promises to using Async/Await, independent of nodejs, based on the difficulty in accessing previous values in the Promise chain. I did come up with a compact solution using 'bind' to save values inside the 'then' functions, but Async seemed much nicer (and it was) in allowing direct access to local variables and arguments. And the more obvious advantage of Async/Await is, of course, the elimination of the distracting explicit 'then' functions in favor of a linear notation that looks much like ordinary function calls.
However, my reading today uncovered problems with Async/Await, which derail my decision. I think I'll stick with Promises (possibly using a macro preprocessor to make the 'then' functions look simpler) until Async/Await gets fixed, a few years from now.
Here are the problems I found. I'd love to find out that I am wrong, that these have easy solutions.
Requires an outer try/catch or a final Promise.catch(), otherwise errors and exceptions are lost.
A final await requires either a Promise.then() or an extra outer async function.
Iteration can only be properly done with for/of, not with other iterators.
Await can only wait for only one Promise at a time, not parallel Promises like Promise chains with Promise.all.
Await doesn't support Promise.race(), should it be needed.
Let's say I have a function:
const someAction = async(): Promise<string> => {
/* do stuff */
};
And I have some code that just needs to run this action, ignoring the result. But I have a bug - I don't want for action to complete:
someAction();
Which, instead, should've been looked like this:
await someAction();
Now, I can check that this action was ran:
const actionStub = sinon.stub(someAction);
expect(actionStub).to.have.been.calledWith();
But what's the most concise way to check that this promise have been waited on?
I understand how to implement this myself, but I suspect it must have already been implemented in sinon or sinon-chai, I just can't find anything.
I can certainly say that nothing like this exists in sinon or sinon-chai.
This is a difficulty inherent to testing any promise-based function where the result isn't used. If the result is used, you know the promise has to be resolved before proceeding with said result. If it is not, things get more complex and kind of outside of the scope of what sinon can do for you with a simple stub.
A naive approach is to stub the action with a fake that sets some variable (local to your test) to track the status. Like so:
let actionComplete = false;
const actionStub = sinon.stub(someAction).callsFake(() => {
return new Promise((resolve) => {
setImmediate(() => {
actionComplete = true;
resolve();
});
});
});
expect(actionStub).to.have.been.calledWith();
expect(actionComplete).to.be.true;
Of course, the problem here is that awaiting any promise, not necessarily this particular one, will pass this test, since the variable will get set on the next step of the event loop, regardless of what caused you to wait for that next step.
For example, you could make this pass with something like this in your code under test:
someAction();
await new Promise((resolve) => {
setImmediate(() => resolve());
});
A more robust approach will be to create two separate tests. One where the promise resolves, and one where the promise rejects. You can test to make sure the rejection causes the containing function to reject with the same error, which would not be possible if that specific promise was not awaited.
const actionStub = sinon.stub(someAction).resolves();
// In one test
expect(actionStub).to.have.been.calledWith();
// In another test
const actionError = new Error('omg bad error');
actionStub.rejects(actionError);
// Assuming your test framework supports returning promises from tests.
return functionUnderTest()
.then(() => {
throw new Error('Promise should have rejected');
}, (err) => {
expect(err).to.equal(actionError);
});
Some assertion libraries and extensions (maybe chai-as-promised) may have a way of cleaning up that use of de-sugared promises there. I didn't want to assume too much about the tools you're using and just tried to make sure the idea gets across.
Hi I'm a newbie in nodejs as far as I'm concerned nodejs is event-driven which is a powerful feature in it.
I have been learning nodejs from last few days and try to build restful apis in it with mongodb, but I'm not able to use its event-driven architecture in apis below is my sudo code
//routes
app.get('/someUrl', SomeClass.executeSomeController);
//controller
class SomeClass {
async executeSomeController(req, res){
let response = awaitSomeHelper.executeQueryAndBusinessLogic(req.body);
res.send(response)
}
}
As per my understanding I have written normal code as I used to write using Ror or PHP The only difference I found that the controller is running asynchronous which does not happens in Ror or Php.
How can I use event-driven architecture to build restful apis
Hope I can cover your question. Basically in some cases 'event-driven architecture' term can be explained differently. In one case it's a basic core NodeJS flow that explains all the async functions. In another case, the root of the question can be related to events, event emitter etc.
But the main idea that you have to wait for all the asynchronous actions. In order to avoid thread blocking it goes further and handles the rest of your code without waiting for heavy requests. And there we have to know how to handle this async functionality.
Basic Async Flow
As I understand, you've got questions related to async operations in NodeJS. That's a root of the technology - all the heavy operations will be handled asynchronously. It's all about V8 and Event Loop.
So in order to work with asynchronous operations, you may use callback functions, promises or async-await syntax.
Callback Functions
function asyncFunction(params, callback) {
//do async stuff
callback(err, result);
}
function callbackFunction(err, result) {
}
asyncFunction(params, callbackFunction);
Promises
promiseFunction()
.then(anotherPromiseFunction)
.then((result) => {
//handle result
})
.catch((err) => {
//handle error
});
async-await
function anotherAsyncFunction() {
//do async stuff
}
const asycnFunction = async (params) => {
const result = await anotherAsyncFunction();
return result;
};
Events/Event Emitter
const fs = require('fs');
const filePath = './path/to/your/file';
const stream = fs.createReadStream(filePath);
stream.on('data', (data) => {
//do something
});
stream.on('end', () => {
//do something;
});
stream.on('error', (err) => {
//do something;
});
You may use these methods depends on the situation and your needs. I recommend skipping callback functions as we have modern ways to work in async flow (promises and async-await). By the way, 'async-await' returns promises as well.
Here is the example of a simple Express JS Server (pretty old syntax), but still valid. Please feel free to check and write questions:
https://github.com/roman-sachenko/express-entity-based
Here is a list of articles I'd recommend you:
https://blog.risingstack.com/node-js-at-scale-understanding-node-js-event-loop/
https://blog.risingstack.com/mastering-async-await-in-nodejs/
I have just started with async and await and trying to convert all my callback syntax to async/await style.
One thing I could not understand is, why I need to every time prefix my function with async keyword.
Here is the example:
APIQuery.js
makeRequest: async(options) => {
try {
var response = await(request(options1))
}
catch(err){
console.log("Some error occurred");
response = undefined;
}
return response;
}
MobileAPI.js
getMobileData: async modal => {
var options = {method: 'GET', json: true,uri: 'https://example.com/mobile/'+modal}
var response = await APIQuery.makeRequest(options);
}
MobileService.js
getMobileDataService: async modal => {
var response = await MobileAPI.getMobileData(modal);
}
MobileController.js
Similarly again I have to use async and await combination to return response.
So my question is, is there a way to get rid of using this everywhere. Calling async await inside APIQuery.js is not enough?
If you want to use the await operator, you have to use async keyword before function declaration:
The await operator is used to wait for a Promise. It can only be used inside an async function.
If you don't want to use async everywhere, you can continue using callbacks or Promises (then, catch, etc.).
So my question is, is there a way to get rid of using this everywhere.
You can't block. Period. As soon as you block, your server would become completely unresponsive to all requests until it's unblocked. For this reason, your code must be asynchronous.
Callbacks are a perfectly valid form of asynchrony, but async/await is easier to use, understand, and maintain.
I am new to nodejs/expressjs and mongodb. I am trying to create an API that exposes data to my mobile app that I am trying to build using Ionic framework.
I have a route setup like this
router.get('/api/jobs', (req, res) => {
JobModel.getAllJobsAsync().then((jobs) => res.json(jobs)); //IS THIS THe CORRECT WAY?
});
I have a function in my model that reads data from Mongodb. I am using the Bluebird promise library to convert my model functions to return promises.
const JobModel = Promise.promisifyAll(require('../models/Job'));
My function in the model
static getAllJobs(cb) {
MongoClient.connectAsync(utils.getConnectionString()).then((db) => {
const jobs = db.collection('jobs');
jobs.find().toArray((err, jobs) => {
if(err) {
return cb(err);
}
return cb(null, jobs);
});
});
}
The promisifyAll(myModule) converts this function to return a promise.
What I am not sure is,
If this is the correct approach for returning data to the route callback function from my model?
Is this efficient?
Using promisifyAll is slow? Since it loops through all functions in the module and creates a copy of the function with Async as suffix that now returns a promise. When does it actually run? This is a more generic question related to node require statements. See next point.
When do all require statements run? When I start the nodejs server? Or when I make a call to the api?
Your basic structure is more-or-less correct, although your use of Promise.promisifyAll seems awkward to me. The basic issue for me (and it's not really a problem - your code looks like it will work) is that you're mixing and matching promise-based and callback-based asynchronous code. Which, as I said, should still work, but I would prefer to stick to one as much as possible.
If your model class is your code (and not some library written by someone else), you could easily rewrite it to use promises directly, instead of writing it for callbacks and then using Promise.promisifyAll to wrap it.
Here's how I would approach the getAllJobs method:
static getAllJobs() {
// connect to the Mongo server
return MongoClient.connectAsync(utils.getConnectionString())
// ...then do something with the collection
.then((db) => {
// get the collection of jobs
const jobs = db.collection('jobs');
// I'm not that familiar with Mongo - I'm going to assume that
// the call to `jobs.find().toArray()` is asynchronous and only
// available in the "callback flavored" form.
// returning a new Promise here (in the `then` block) allows you
// to add the results of the asynchronous call to the chain of
// `then` handlers. The promise will be resolved (or rejected)
// when the results of the `job().find().toArray()` method are
// known
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
jobs.find().toArray((err, jobs) => {
if(err) {
reject(err);
}
resolve(jobs);
});
});
});
}
This version of getAllJobs returns a promise which you can chain then and catch handlers to. For example:
JobModel.getAllJobs()
.then((jobs) => {
// this is the object passed into the `resolve` call in the callback
// above. Do something interesting with it, like
res.json(jobs);
})
.catch((err) => {
// this is the error passed into the call to `reject` above
});
Admittedly, this is very similar to the code you have above. The only difference is that I dispensed with the use of Promise.promisifyAll - if you're writing the code yourself & you want to use promises, then do it yourself.
One important note: it's a good idea to include a catch handler. If you don't, your error will be swallowed up and disappear, and you'll be left wondering why your code is not working. Even if you don't think you'll need it, just write a catch handler that dumps it to console.log. You'll be glad you did!