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wtf is async-helpers?

doowb/async-helpers — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-17 · repo last pushed 2020-04-22

★ 15JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5DormantSetup · easy

TL;DR

A library that lets template engines like Handlebars use async helper functions by swapping in placeholder IDs and resolving them after rendering.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Wraps async helpers
      Uses placeholder IDs
      Resolves after render
    Tech stack
      JavaScript
      Handlebars
      Lodash templates
    Use cases
      Fetch API data in templates
      Build static site generators
      Build docs tools
    Audience
      Developers
      Tool builders

Code map

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Write a template helper that fetches API data without the template engine natively supporting async.

REASON 2

Build a static site generator that needs async work inside templates.

REASON 3

Add async file-reading or database helpers to a documentation tool.

REASON 4

Coordinate multiple async helpers in one template render pass.

What's in the stack?

JavaScriptHandlebarsLodash

How it stacks up

doowb/async-helpersadindazu/fextractoranonymousraid/osint-mapping-tool
Stars151515
LanguageJavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript
Last pushed2020-04-22——
MaintenanceDormant——
Setup difficultyeasyhardeasy
Complexity2/51/52/5
Audiencedevelopergeneralresearcher

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 30min

Requires understanding the placeholder/resolveIds pattern before it clicks.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Help me register an async helper with async-helpers for my Handlebars template.
Prompt 2
Explain how resolveIds swaps placeholder IDs with real async results.
Prompt 3
Show me how to wrap an existing async function so my template engine can use it.
Prompt 4
Walk me through building a static site generator that fetches data using async-helpers.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is async-helpers?

A library that lets template engines like Handlebars use async helper functions by swapping in placeholder IDs and resolving them after rendering.

What language is async-helpers written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes JavaScript, Handlebars, Lodash.

Is async-helpers actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2020-04-22).

How hard is async-helpers to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is async-helpers for?

Mainly developer.

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