Design a Rate Limiter: Throttle vs Debounce Decision Framework

Problem Statement

As a Staff Engineer, you're reviewing a PR where a junior engineer used debounce for a scroll handler. Walk through your decision framework for choosing between throttle and debounce, and implement both to demonstrate the difference.

Requirements

Implement both functions and create a demonstration that clearly shows:

• How throttle guarantees regular execution during continuous input
• How debounce waits for input to stop
• Visual output showing execution timing for both

Example Implementation

Decision Framework

Use Throttle When	Use Debounce When
You need regular updates during activity	You only care about final state
User expects visual feedback during action	User expects action after they stop
Examples: scroll position, resize, drag	Examples: search input, form validation

Follow-up Questions

1. How would you explain this to a junior engineer in a code review?
2. Are there cases where you might use both together?
3. How do you handle edge cases in animations/games?