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Asynchronous programming in JavaScript has evolved rapidly over the years, and with it, new keywords and techniques have emerged to simplify complex code. One such keyword is await
, which plays a crucial role in async functions, allowing developers to pause execution until a promise resolves.
In this article, we'll explore the await
keyword in depth, understanding how it works and how it can streamline your asynchronous JavaScript code.
A Primer on Async Functions
Before diving into await
, let's quickly review async functions in JavaScript. An async function is a function declared with the async
keyword. This declaration enables the use of await
within the function, allowing for a more synchronous style of coding in an asynchronous environment.
Async functions implicitly return a promise, and they can contain one or more await
expressions, which pause the execution of the function until the awaited promise is resolved. This makes it easier to work with asynchronous code, as it resembles the familiar synchronous programming style.