Why is crypto.subtle.digest designed to return a promise?

Every other system I’ve ever worked with has the signature hash(bytes) => bytes, yet whatever committee designed the Subtle Crypto API decided that the browser version should return a promise. Why? I’ve looked around but I’ve never found any discussion on the motivation behind that.

  • EthanOP
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    122 days ago

    async/await infecting all of my code, being unable to create a get myField() method that involves a hash calculation. It may be standard to do heavy lifting concurrently, but async hash functions are certainly not standard in any of the languages I’ve used (which is quite a few).

    • @[email protected]
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      222 days ago

      From browsing your other comments on this thread I understand that you are in a context where you can’t await, that you expect the invocation to take very little time, and that the library offers no complementary sync interface.

      As far was I know you’re stuck in this case. I consider the stubborn refusal to add “resolve this promise synchronously right now” a major flaw in js.

      • macniel
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        22 days ago

        Given the nature of JS running only on a single thread. Promises/asynchronity is the only way to keep the browser from locking up.

        Thus insisting on any other way is a major flaw in the developer not the language.

        • @[email protected]
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          422 days ago

          Thus insisting on any other way is a major flaw in the developer not the language.

          I mean, I understand the idea, but this is a pretty asshole way to frame it. I don’t think I deserve that, and certainly OP doesn’t deserve that.

          • @Kissaki
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            122 days ago

            deleted by creator

        • John
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          122 days ago

          @DmMacniel @vzq

          > Given the nature of JS running only on a single thread.

          No no, I think you found the language flaw.