debouncemedium
What is the difference between debounce and throttle?
Answer
Debounce waits for activity to stop: the timer restarts on every call, so the function runs once after the quiet period. Throttle guarantees a steady rate: it runs at most once per interval no matter how often it's called. Debounce suits search-as-you-type and resize-end work; throttle suits scroll handlers and anything that must keep updating while the user is still going.
Points an interviewer listens for
- Debounce: runs after activity stops; timer resets each call
- Throttle: runs at a fixed maximum rate
- Debounce → typeahead, resize end, autosave
- Throttle → scroll, drag, pointer tracking
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