Understanding JS Web Worker API

Using Web Workers

JavaScript Web Worker API runs background scripts, with termination.

Introduction to Web Workers

The Web Worker API allows you to run scripts in background threads, freeing up the main thread to handle user interactions smoothly. This is crucial for improving the performance of web applications, especially those with complex computations or tasks that can block the UI.

Creating a Web Worker

To create a web worker, you need to instantiate a new Worker object, providing the path to your worker script. This initializes the worker in a separate thread.

Communicating with a Web Worker

Communication between the main script and the web worker is done via the postMessage() method and the onmessage event handler. You can send data to the worker using postMessage() and listen for messages from the worker with an onmessage event listener.

Writing the Worker Script

The worker script can listen for messages from the main script and respond accordingly. Use the self.onmessage event handler to process incoming messages.

Terminating a Web Worker

When a worker is no longer needed, it should be terminated to free up system resources. You can terminate a worker from the main script using the terminate() method.

Error Handling in Web Workers

Errors in web workers can be caught using the onerror event handler. This helps in debugging and ensuring that the application handles worker failures gracefully.

JS Web Worker API