Throttler Versus Debounce

Throttler Versus Debounce

Throttling and debouncing are both techniques used to control how often a function is executed, but they serve different purposes and have distinct behaviors. Here’s a breakdown of their differences:

Throttling

Definition: Throttling ensures that a function is called at most once in a specified time period. It limits the frequency of the function calls, making it useful for tasks that need to be executed repeatedly but shouldn't overload the system.

Use Cases:

• Scroll Events: Tracking scroll position without overwhelming the event loop.
• Resize Events: Handling window resize events efficiently.
• API Requests: Limiting how often a user can trigger a function that makes network requests.

Behavior:

• If a function is called multiple times within the specified interval, it will execute only once at the start of the interval.
• Subsequent calls will only be executed after the time limit has passed.

Example:

const throttledFunction = throttle(() => {
  console.log("Throttled function executed")
}, 2000)

// Calls will only execute once every 2 seconds, even if triggered more often.
setInterval(throttledFunction, 500)

Debouncing

Definition: Debouncing ensures that a function is executed only after a specified delay has passed since the last time it was invoked. It’s useful for situations where you want to wait until the user has stopped performing an action before executing the function.

Use Cases:

• Search Inputs: Making API calls only after the user has stopped typing for a certain period.
• Button Clicks: Preventing multiple form submissions if the button is clicked multiple times quickly.
• Window Resize: Executing a function only after the user has finished resizing the window.

Behavior:

• The function will only execute if a specified amount of time has passed since the last call.
• If new calls are made before the delay finishes, the timer resets.

Example:

const debouncedFunction = debounce(() => {
  console.log("Debounced function executed")
}, 2000)

// If called multiple times within 2 seconds, it will only execute once after 2 seconds of inactivity.
document.getElementById("input").addEventListener("input", debouncedFunction)

Key Differences

Summary

• Throttling is about controlling the frequency of function execution. Use it when you want to ensure a function runs no more than once per specified time interval.
• Debouncing is about delaying execution until after the last call. Use it when you want to wait for a pause in user actions before executing a function.

Understanding the differences can help you choose the right technique based on the specific needs of your application!