Streams API
The Streams API is a web platform API that allows JavaScript to programmatically access streams of data received over the network or created locally, enabling efficient processing of large datasets in chunks. It provides a standard interface for reading and writing streams, supporting operations like piping, transforming, and composing data without needing to buffer entire contents in memory. This is particularly useful for handling media files, large downloads, or real-time data feeds in web applications.
Developers should learn the Streams API when building web applications that need to handle large files, video/audio streaming, or progressive data loading to improve performance and reduce memory usage. It's essential for scenarios like processing uploaded files without blocking the main thread, implementing custom network protocols, or creating efficient data pipelines in service workers. Use cases include video editing tools, file upload systems, and real-time analytics dashboards where data arrives incrementally.