# 1. Eliminating Waterfalls
> **Impact:** CRITICAL
> **Focus:** Waterfalls are the #1 performance killer. Each sequential await adds full network latency. Eliminating them yields the largest gains.
---
## Overview
This section contains **5 rules** focused on eliminating waterfalls.
---
## Rule 1.1: Defer Await Until Needed
**Impact:** HIGH
**Tags:** async, await, conditional, optimization
## Defer Await Until Needed
Move `await` operations into the branches where they're actually used to avoid blocking code paths that don't need them.
**Incorrect (blocks both branches):**
```typescript
async function handleRequest(userId: string, skipProcessing: boolean) {
const userData = await fetchUserData(userId)
if (skipProcessing) {
// Returns immediately but still waited for userData
return { skipped: true }
}
// Only this branch uses userData
return processUserData(userData)
}
```
**Correct (only blocks when needed):**
```typescript
async function handleRequest(userId: string, skipProcessing: boolean) {
if (skipProcessing) {
// Returns immediately without waiting
return { skipped: true }
}
// Fetch only when needed
const userData = await fetchUserData(userId)
return processUserData(userData)
}
```
**Another example (early return optimization):**
```typescript
// Incorrect: always fetches permissions
async function updateResource(resourceId: string, userId: string) {
const permissions = await fetchPermissions(userId)
const resource = await getResource(resourceId)
if (!resource) {
return { error: 'Not found' }
}
if (!permissions.canEdit) {
return { error: 'Forbidden' }
}
return await updateResourceData(resource, permissions)
}
// Correct: fetches only when needed
async function updateResource(resourceId: string, userId: string) {
const resource = await getResource(resourceId)
if (!resource) {
return { error: 'Not found' }
}
const permissions = await fetchPermissions(userId)
if (!permissions.canEdit) {
return { error: 'Forbidden' }
}
return await updateResourceData(resource, permissions)
}
```
This optimization is especially valuable when the skipped branch is frequently taken, or when the deferred operation is expensive.
---
## Rule 1.2: Dependency-Based Parallelization
**Impact:** CRITICAL
**Tags:** async, parallelization, dependencies, better-all
## Dependency-Based Parallelization
For operations with partial dependencies, use `better-all` to maximize parallelism. It automatically starts each task at the earliest possible moment.
**Incorrect (profile waits for config unnecessarily):**
```typescript
const [user, config] = await Promise.all([
fetchUser(),
fetchConfig()
])
const profile = await fetchProfile(user.id)
```
**Correct (config and profile run in parallel):**
```typescript
import { all } from 'better-all'
const { user, config, profile } = await all({
async user() { return fetchUser() },
async config() { return fetchConfig() },
async profile() {
return fetchProfile((await this.$.user).id)
}
})
```
**Alternative without extra dependencies:**
We can also create all the promises first, and do `Promise.all()` at the end.
```typescript
const userPromise = fetchUser()
const profilePromise = userPromise.then(user => fetchProfile(user.id))
const [user, config, profile] = await Promise.all([
userPromise,
fetchConfig(),
profilePromise
])
```
Reference: [https://github.com/shuding/better-all](https://github.com/shuding/better-all)
---
## Rule 1.3: Prevent Waterfall Chains in API Routes
**Impact:** CRITICAL
**Tags:** api-routes, server-actions, waterfalls, parallelization
## Prevent Waterfall Chains in API Routes
In API routes and Server Actions, start independent operations immediately, even if you don't await them yet.
**Incorrect (config waits for auth, data waits for both):**
```typescript
export async function GET(request: Request) {
const session = await auth()
const config = await fetchConfig()
const data = await fetchData(session.user.id)
return Response.json({ data, config })
}
```
**Correct (auth and config start immediately):**
```typescript
export async function GET(request: Request) {
const sessionPromise = auth()
const configPromise = fetchConfig()
const session = await sessionPromise
const [config, data] = await Promise.all([
configPromise,
fetchData(session.user.id)
])
return Response.json({ data, config })
}
```
For operations with more complex dependency chains, use `better-all` to automatically maximize parallelism (see Dependency-Based Parallelization).
---
## Rule 1.4: Promise.all() for Independent Operations
**Impact:** CRITICAL
**Tags:** async, parallelization, promises, waterfalls
## Promise.all() for Independent Operations
When async operations have no interdependencies, execute them concurrently using `Promise.all()`.
**Incorrect (sequential execution, 3 round trips):**
```typescript
const user = await fetchUser()
const posts = await fetchPosts()
const comments = await fetchComments()
```
**Correct (parallel execution, 1 round trip):**
```typescript
const [user, posts, comments] = await Promise.all([
fetchUser(),
fetchPosts(),
fetchComments()
])
```
---
## Rule 1.5: Strategic Suspense Boundaries
**Impact:** HIGH
**Tags:** async, suspense, streaming, layout-shift
## Strategic Suspense Boundaries
Instead of awaiting data in async components before returning JSX, use Suspense boundaries to show the wrapper UI faster while data loads.
**Incorrect (wrapper blocked by data fetching):**
```tsx
async function Page() {
const data = await fetchData() // Blocks entire page
return (
)
}
```
The entire layout waits for data even though only the middle section needs it.
**Correct (wrapper shows immediately, data streams in):**
```tsx
function Page() {
return (
)
}
async function DataDisplay() {
const data = await fetchData() // Only blocks this component
return {data.content}
}
```
Sidebar, Header, and Footer render immediately. Only DataDisplay waits for data.
**Alternative (share promise across components):**
```tsx
function Page() {
// Start fetch immediately, but don't await
const dataPromise = fetchData()
return (
)
}
function DataDisplay({ dataPromise }: { dataPromise: Promise }) {
const data = use(dataPromise) // Unwraps the promise
return {data.content}
}
function DataSummary({ dataPromise }: { dataPromise: Promise }) {
const data = use(dataPromise) // Reuses the same promise
return {data.summary}
}
```
Both components share the same promise, so only one fetch occurs. Layout renders immediately while both components wait together.
**When NOT to use this pattern:**
- Critical data needed for layout decisions (affects positioning)
- SEO-critical content above the fold
- Small, fast queries where suspense overhead isn't worth it
- When you want to avoid layout shift (loading → content jump)
**Trade-off:** Faster initial paint vs potential layout shift. Choose based on your UX priorities.