Browser JavaScript Timer Throttling: Why setTimeout(0) Actually Delays 4ms
By
vidyesh
Sesame, salt, and substance. A flagship bake.
Summary
This article explains how browsers implement a 4ms minimum delay for JavaScript setTimeout(0) calls, rather than executing them immediately. The author, who worked on the Microsoft Edge team, reveals this is a deliberate browser design choice to prevent websites from abusing timers and draining user battery life or blocking interactivity through excessive setTimeout spamming.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledsetTimeout(0) is not really setTimeout(0). Instead, it could run 4 milliseconds later
browsers did this to avoid "abuse". I.e. there are a lot of websites out there that spam setTimeout
to avoid draining the user's battery or blocking interactivity, browsers set a special "clamped" minimum of 4ms
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