Promises and async/await are both ways to handle asynchronous code in JavaScript, but there are some key differences between them that make async/await a more convenient choice for certain use cases.
One of the main reasons for the shift from Promises to async/await is readability. Promises can be difficult to read and understand, especially when dealing with complex control flow or multiple levels of nested callbacks. Async/await, on the other hand, allows you to write asynchronous code that looks and behaves like synchronous code, making it much easier to read and understand.
Another advantage of async/await is that it eliminates the need for chaining multiple promises. When working with Promises, it is common to chain multiple .then() and .catch() statements together, which can quickly become unwieldy and difficult to maintain. With async/await, you can write each asynchronous operation as a separate function and use the await keyword to wait for the result, making the code cleaner and more readable.
Additionally, async/await also provides better error handling capabilities. With Promises, you have to use .catch() method to handle errors, but with async/await you can use try-catch blocks for error handling which is more similar to the synchronous error handling and more natural for developers who are more familiar with synchronous error handling.
Finally, as more and more JavaScript developers are becoming familiar with async/await, it's becoming the more common choice for handling asynchronous code. As a result, many popular libraries and frameworks now have built-in support for async/await, making it easier to use in a wide variety of projects.
In summary, the shift from Promises to async/await is driven by the desire for more readable, maintainable, and easier to handle asynchronous code.
Sure, here's an example that demonstrates the difference between using Promises and async/await to handle asynchronous code:
// Using Promises
const fetchData = () => {
return fetch('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users/1')
.then(response => response.json())
.then(data => {
console.log(data);
})
.catch(error => {
console.log(error);
});
}
fetchData();
// Using async/await
const fetchData = async () => {
try {
const response = await fetch('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users/1');
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);
} catch (error) {
console.log(error);
}
}
fetchData();
As you can see, the version using async/await looks more similar to synchronous code, with the use of the await keyword, and error handling with try-catch block, making it easier to read and understand.
Additionally, you can also see that with async/await you can have a much more clean and readable code, where you can have each asynchronous operation as a separate function and use the await keyword to wait for the result, making the code cleaner and more readable.
In a nutshell, although Promises is a powerful and flexible way to handle asynchronous code, the use of Async/Await makes it more convenient and easy to read and understand, especially when working with simple cases.