Promises/Futures vs Observables

Developers should learn Promises/Futures to manage asynchronous code more effectively, such as in web development for API calls, file I/O, or database queries, avoiding 'callback hell' and improving code readability meets developers should learn observables when building applications that require handling real-time data, event-driven architectures, or complex asynchronous operations, such as user interactions, api calls, or websocket connections. Here's our take.

Promises/Futures

Nice Pick

Developers should learn Promises/Futures to manage asynchronous code more effectively, such as in web development for API calls, file I/O, or database queries, avoiding 'callback hell' and improving code readability

Pros

• They are essential in modern JavaScript/TypeScript, Python (asyncio), and Java (CompletableFuture) for building responsive applications that handle concurrent operations without blocking the main thread
• Related to: async-await, callbacks

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Observables

Developers should learn Observables when building applications that require handling real-time data, event-driven architectures, or complex asynchronous operations, such as user interactions, API calls, or WebSocket connections

Pros

• They are particularly useful in front-end development for managing state changes and data flow in a declarative manner, improving code readability and maintainability compared to traditional callbacks or promises
• Related to: rxjs, reactive-programming

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Promises/Futures if: You want they are essential in modern javascript/typescript, python (asyncio), and java (completablefuture) for building responsive applications that handle concurrent operations without blocking the main thread and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Observables if: You prioritize they are particularly useful in front-end development for managing state changes and data flow in a declarative manner, improving code readability and maintainability compared to traditional callbacks or promises over what Promises/Futures offers.

The Bottom Line

Promises/Futures wins

Developers should learn Promises/Futures to manage asynchronous code more effectively, such as in web development for API calls, file I/O, or database queries, avoiding 'callback hell' and improving code readability