Intent

The intent of adding top level await is to add a means to allow Modules to asynchronously initialize their namespace prior to notifying the consumer that the Module is finished evaluating.

Uses

Dynamic dependency pathing

const strings = await import(`/i18n/${navigator.language}`);

This allows for Modules to use runtime values in order to determine dependencies. This is useful for things like development/production splits, internationalization, environment splits, etc.

Resource initialization

const connection = await dbConnector();

This allows Modules to represent resources and also to produce errors in cases where the Module will never be able to be used.

Dependency fallbacks

let jQuery;
try {
  jQuery = await import('https://cdn-a.com/jQuery');
} catch {
  jQuery = await import('https://cdn-b.com/jQuery');
}

Designs

The main problem space in designing top level await is to aid in detecting and preventing forms of deadlock that can occur. All examples below will use a cyclic import() to a graph of 'a' -> 'b', 'b' -> 'a' with both using top level await to halt progress until the other finishes loading. For brevity the examples will only show one side of the graph, the other side is a mirror.

Await during Evaluation

This design would introduce an ability to block Module loading while in the Evaluation phase of Module loading.

await import('b');

Async instantiate blocks

This design would introduce an ability to execute code within the Instantiate phase of Module loading.

// using static as bikeshed for way to define this action is during
// instantiate
static async {
  await import('b');
}

Since import() requires the target Module finish Evaluation to complete having a cycle in Instantiate still suffers from deadlock.

Halting Progress

Existing Ways to halt progress

Infinite Loops

for (const n of primes()) {
  console.log(`${n} is prime}`);
}

Infinite series or lack of base condition means static control structures are vulnerable to infinite looping.

Infinite Recursion

const fibb = n => (n ? fibb(n - 1) : 1);
fibb(Infinity);

Proper tail calls allow for recursion to never overflow the stack. This makes it vulnerable to infinite recursion.

Atomics.wait

Atomics.wait(shared_array_buffer, 0, 0);

Atomics allow blocking forward progress by waiting on an index that never changes.

export function then

// a
export function then(f, r) {}

async function start() {
  const a = await import('a');
  console.log(a);
}

Exporting a then function allows blocking import().

Guarding against

Implementing a TDZ

// a
await import('b');

// implement a hoistable then()
export function then(f, r) {
  r('not finished');
};

// remove the rejection
then = null;

// b
await import('a');

Having a then in the TDZ is a way to prevent cycles while a module is still evaluating. try{}catch{} can also be used as a recovery or notification mechanism.

// b
let a;
try {
  a = await import('a');
} catch {
  // do something
}

This mechanism could even be codified into import() by making it reject if the target module has not run to end of source text in Evaluation yet.