non-blocking code

noun

UK /nɒn ˈblɒkɪŋ kəʊd/

US /nɑːn ˈblɑːkɪŋ koʊd/

Code that keeps working without making other things wait.

The game uses non-blocking code so the music keeps playing while it loads a new level.

SYNONYMS

asynchronous code non-waiting code concurrent code parallel-friendly code

RELATED WORDS

callback promise event loop thread async

OTHER MEANINGS

2. Programming that lets a computer start a task and move on to other work before the first task finishes.

She wrote non-blocking code to download files in the background.

3. A style of code that never freezes the whole program while waiting for slow input or output.

Non-blocking code keeps the app responsive even when the network is slow.

4. Software designed so one slow operation does not stop other operations from running.

The server handles many users at once thanks to non-blocking code.