The Two Phases of a Node.js Program
Given the cost that blocking has on the Node.js event loop, you might think itâs always bad to use synchronous file-access methods. To understand when itâs OK, you can think of Node.js programs as having two phases.
In the initialization phase, the program is getting set up, bringing in libraries, reading configuration parameters, and doing other mission-critical tasks. If something goes wrong at this early stage, not much can be done, and itâs best to fail fast. The only time you should consider synchronous file access is during the initialization phase of your program.
The second phase is the operation phase, when the program churns through the event loop. Since many Node.js programs are networked, ...
Get Node.js 8 the Right Way now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
