The answer
300ms. It is fast enough to feel responsive and slow enough to skip intermediate keystrokes. For scroll throttle: 100ms. For auto-save debounce: 1000ms. Adjust based on the use case.
Debounce vs Throttle Interview Questions (Walmart)
What delay would you use for debounce in a search input?
More FAQs in Debounce vs Throttle Interview Questions (Walmart)
Debounce delays execution until activity stops (only the last call runs, after a delay). Throttle limits to once per interval (executes at a fixed rate, ignoring calls in between).
Debounce: function debounce(fn, delay) { let timer; return function(...args) { clearTimeout(timer); timer = setTimeout(() => fn.apply(this, args), delay); }; }. Throttle: function throttle(fn, delay) { let last = 0; return function(...args) { const now = Date.now(); if (now - last >= delay) { last = now; fn.apply(this, args); } }; }.
Debounce for search input (300ms), auto-save (1000ms), form validation (500ms). Throttle for scroll (100ms), mousemove (50ms), rapid button clicks (500ms). Debounce after activity stops; throttle during activity.
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