I think the ergonomics of generators is growing on me. | Alex MacArthur
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Alex MacArthur
May 12, 2025
Summary
This blog post explores the ergonomics of JavaScript generators, explaining the iterator and iterable protocols, lazy evaluation, and how generators can simplify complex tasks like reducing tight coupling, avoiding annoying practices, making exhaustive pagination more efficient, and generating sets of items on-the-fly.
Content Sections
The Iterator & Iterable Protocols
Generators rely on the iterator and iterable protocols, both dealing with producing an indeterminate sequence of values. The iterator protocol standardizes the shape and behavior of an object that returns a sequence, requiring a `next()` method returning an object with `value` and `done` properties. The iterable protocol builds upon this, defining an object with a `[Symbol.iterator]()` method that returns an iterator object, enabling the use of `for...of` loops and destructuring.
Lazy Evaluation
Lazy evaluation is a key benefit of iterables. Values are computed on demand, preventing performance issues by avoiding upfront processing of large datasets. This is especially useful when not all items in a sequence are needed, as it avoids unnecessary computation.
Smoothing Over the Protocols w/ Generators
Generator functions, marked by `function*` and the `yield` keyword, simplify the creation of iterables. The `yield` keyword pauses execution, returning a value each time the `next()` method is called. Generators can also be infinite, with execution pausing between iterations, preventing browser lock-ups.
Where I've Begun to Appreciate Them
Generators can reduce tight coupling by encapsulating state management, making components more independent and portable. They also help avoid practices like recursion and callbacks, particularly with asynchronous generators, which allow for cleaner code and separation of concerns.
They can help make exhaustive pagination more efficient.
Generators streamline paginated API requests by processing items as each page is requested, reducing memory usage and improving timing. This approach avoids the need for auxiliary variables and list stitching.
They make it really nice to generate sets of items on-the-fly.
Generators can be destructured like arrays, simplifying the creation of utilities that generate batches of items on demand.