What are debounce and throttle in programming?

Can you explain the difference between debounce and throttle in programming?

Sure! Debounce and throttle are both techniques used to control the rate at which a function is executed. Debounce ensures that a function is only called after a certain period of inactivity, while throttle limits the function to be called at most once in a specified time interval.

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

Absolutely! A common use case for debounce is in search input fields. When a user types, you can debounce the search function to only trigger after they've stopped typing for a set amount of time, reducing unnecessary API calls.

What about throttle? When should I use that?

Throttle is useful for scenarios like scrolling or resizing events. For example, if you want to track the scroll position of a page, you can throttle the function to ensure it only runs every 200 milliseconds, preventing performance issues.

Are there any libraries that can help with implementing these?

Yes! Libraries like Lodash provide built-in methods for both debounce and throttle, making it easy to implement these techniques in your projects.