What are the best practices for using debounce and throttle in JavaScript?

What are the best practices for using debounce and throttle in JavaScript?

Debounce and throttle are techniques to control the rate of function execution. Debounce delays execution until after a specified time has passed since the last call, while throttle ensures a function is called at most once in a specified time period. Best practices include using debounce for user input events and throttle for scroll or resize events.

Can you give me an example of when to use debounce?

Sure! A common use case for debounce is in search input fields. When a user types, you can debounce the search function to only execute after they've stopped typing for a certain period, reducing the number of API calls.

And what about throttle? When should I use that?

Throttle is ideal for events that fire continuously, like scrolling or resizing. For example, if you want to track the scroll position of a page, you can throttle the event handler to run every 200 milliseconds, ensuring it doesn't overwhelm the browser.

Are there any libraries that can help with implementing these techniques?

Yes! Libraries like Lodash provide built-in debounce and throttle functions, making it easy to implement these techniques without writing your own.