Why Async/Await Beats Promises: 6 Compelling Reasons for Cleaner JavaScript

Async/await is a modern way to write asynchronous JavaScript code, built on top of promises and offering a syntax that resembles synchronous code.

Async/await makes asynchronous code look like synchronous code, providing the biggest value by improving readability.

Syntax

Assume getJSON returns a promise that resolves to a JSON object.

const makeRequest = () =>
  getJSON()
    .then(data => {
      console.log(data);
      return "done";
    });
makeRequest();

Using async/await the same logic becomes:

const makeRequest = async () => {
  console.log(await getJSON());
  return "done";
};
makeRequest();

Key differences when using async/await:

Functions must be declared with async; await can only be used inside such functions.

All async functions return a promise that resolves with the value returned from the function.

Top‑level code cannot use await directly.

// This will NOT work at top level
// await makeRequest();

// This works
makeRequest().then(result => {
  // do something
});

await getJSON()

pauses execution until the promise resolves, then logs the result.

Why Use Async/Await?

1. Concise

The async/await version eliminates the need for explicit .then callbacks and intermediate variables, reducing nesting and boilerplate.

2. Error Handling

With async/await you can use a single try/catch block to handle both synchronous and asynchronous errors, avoiding duplicated .catch logic.

const makeRequest = () => {
  try {
    getJSON()
      .then(result => {
        const data = JSON.parse(result);
        console.log(data);
      })
      // .catch(err => console.log(err)) // redundant
  } catch (err) {
    console.log(err);
  }
};

Using async/await the same code becomes:

const makeRequest = async () => {
  try {
    const data = JSON.parse(await getJSON());
    console.log(data);
  } catch (err) {
    console.log(err);
  }
};

3. Conditional Branches

Complex promise chains with nested .then statements become straightforward linear code with async/await.

const makeRequest = async () => {
  const data = await getJSON();
  if (data.needsAnotherRequest) {
    const moreData = await makeAnotherRequest(data);
    console.log(moreData);
    return moreData;
  } else {
    console.log(data);
    return data;
  }
};

4. Intermediate Values

When a sequence of promises depends on previous results, async/await lets you assign each result to a variable, avoiding deep nesting or array‑based workarounds.

const makeRequest = async () => {
  const value1 = await promise1();
  const value2 = await promise2(value1);
  return promise3(value1, value2);
};

5. Stack Traces

Promises often produce ambiguous stack traces, while async/await points directly to the function where the error originated.

// Promise chain stack (ambiguous)
makeRequest()
  .catch(err => console.log(err));

// Async/await stack (clear)
makeRequest()
  .catch(err => console.log(err));

6. Debugging

Async/await code can be stepped through like synchronous code, and you can set breakpoints inside await statements, which is not possible with arrow functions that return a promise.

Conclusion: Async/await is one of the most revolutionary JavaScript features of recent years, exposing the shortcomings of promise syntax and providing a simpler, more readable alternative.