JavaScript Promises Deep Dive

Master asynchronous programming with promises.

Promise Basics

let promise = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
  let success = true;
  if (success) resolve("Done!");
  else reject(new Error("Failed!"));
});

promise
  .then(result => console.log(result))
  .catch(error => console.error(error.message));

Promise States

Three states: pending → fulfilled or rejected. Once settled, never changes.

let p = new Promise((resolve) => {
  setTimeout(() => resolve("Done"), 1000);
});

Promise Chaining

Return values from .then() pass to the next .then().

fetchUser()
  .then(user => fetchPosts(user.id))
  .then(posts => console.log(posts))
  .catch(error => console.error(error.message));

Tip: A single .catch() at the end handles errors from any step.

Promise.all()

Run multiple promises in parallel. Fails fast if any rejects.

Promise.all([fetch("/api/users"), fetch("/api/posts")])
  .then(([users, posts]) => console.log(users, posts))
  .catch(error => console.error("One failed:", error.message));

Promise.allSettled()

Wait for all, regardless of success or failure.

Promise.allSettled([p1, p2, p3]).then(results => {
  results.forEach(r => console.log(r.status, r.value || r.reason));
});

Promise.race() and Promise.any()

race() — first to settle wins. any() — first to fulfill wins (ignores rejections).

Promise.race([fast, slow]).then(result => console.log(result));
Promise.any([p1, p2, p3]).then(result => console.log(result));

Data Fetcher Example

class DataFetcher {
  #baseUrl;
  constructor(baseUrl) { this.#baseUrl = baseUrl; }

  get(endpoint) {
    return fetch(`${this.#baseUrl}${endpoint}`)
      .then(r => { if (!r.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${r.status}`); return r.json(); });
  }

  fetchAll(endpoints) {
    return Promise.all(endpoints.map(e => this.get(e)));
  }
}

File Processing Pipeline

readFile("input.txt")
  .then(data => processFile(data))
  .then(processed => saveFile("output.txt", processed))
  .then(result => console.log(result))
  .catch(error => console.error(error));

Best Practices

• Always handle errors — Use .catch() or try/catch
• Chain promises — Avoid nested .then()
• Use Promise.all() — For parallel operations
• Use finally — For cleanup that always runs

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting return in .then() — Returns undefined
• Not handling errors — Unhandled rejections
• Nested promises — Hard to read
• Ignoring rejections — Silent failures