Should I have and async/await on a method if there is an await at the point where it is called?

Question

I have these two Typescript methods:

async getCertURL(pol: string): Promise<string> {
  return await Api.getData(this.apiUrl + pol + this.certEndpoint, {timeout: 60000}).then(
    (response) => {
      return response.data.certURL;
    })
    .catch((err) => 
      this.loggingService.logError('Error generating reissue cert forward URL ' + err));
}

async getCert(pol: string): Promise<string> {
return Api.getData(await this.getCertURL(policy), {timeout: 60000}).then(
  (response) => {
    return response.data;
  })
.catch((err) => 
  this.loggingService.logError('Error cert not reissued ' + err));
}

I thought if I had an await before await this.getCertURL(policy) in my getCert() I would not require one at Api.getData() in getCertURL but getCert() throws an exception without it.

Am I correct to include it or is there some other way I should be doing this?

Answer 1

You need to use await if the value on the right hand side is a promise and you want the resolved value returned instead of the promise.

Since getCertURL is marked as async , it will return a promise.

You need the value, so you need await .

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On the other hand, since (inside getCertURL ) you do nothing with value of the promise returned by Api.getData().then().catch() except return it (causing it to be wrapped in a promise) you could omit the await and async from that function. You'd have clearer code if you replaced the then() and catch() with await and try {} catch {} though).