Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Web Streams API promised one streaming model for every runtime. It delivered — along with memory leaks, hidden buffers, and performance so bad that Next.js quietly creates 250 objects to move a single chunk of data 🤯
One Next.js request: 250 ReadableStream objects created and thrown away just to move a single chunk of data through the pipeline.
👉 James Snell (Cloudflare) decided we deserve better. Here's what he built.
👤 James Snell — Principal Engineer at Cloudflare Workers Runtime, Node.js TSC member and core contributor. Built HTTP/2, WHATWG URL, and QUIC in Node.js. Author of JavaScript In Depth (Manning).
👉 Connect with James:
🔗 github.com/jasnell
✍️ This talk was part of Node Congress 2026:
We Deserve a Better Streams API for the Web | James Snell
🔗 nodecongress.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=JamesSnell
What's inside:
✅ Every read, every write — a hidden promise. Why this kills your performance
✅ Real production fires: React SSR deadlocks, AWS SDK meltdowns, Node Fetch eating your connection pool
✅ tee() buffers grow forever — and the spec designed it that way
✅ The replacement: just iterators. No classes, no locks, no overhead
✅ Backpressure that can't be ignored — and tee() done right
✅ 22–125× faster. Every major runtime. Benchmarks included
📌 Follow the link to watch the full version of the talk and gain access to all Node Congress recordings:
🔗 gitnation.com/events/node-congress-2026?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=JamesSnell
💬 Don’t just watch — get your toughest architecture questions answered in real-time, be part of the room where Seniors and Architects shape the future, get ahead of the curve. Join us live at the next event!
🔗 gitnation.com/events?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=JamesSnell
🕐 Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:43 - Web Streams: an order of magnitude slower. Why it matters
01:07 - Your 20% Off 🤫
03:00 - Five problems with the API: boilerplate, locks, hidden buffers, promises, chaos
05:27 - tee() will eat your heap — and the spec designed it that way
08:58 - Real bugs: Next.js, AWS SDK, Node Fetch, React SSR
13:21 - The new design: streams are just iterators
16:19 - Backpressure that actually bites + full API walkthrough
22:56 - Benchmarks: up to 125× faster across every runtime
26:35 - Summary + how to get started
30:33 - Q&A
📌 We’ve hidden a secret code for 20% off your next event.
Join our upcoming conferences!
💫 JSNation 2026 June 11 & 15, 2026 (Amsterdam)
🔗jsnation.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=JamesSnell
💫 React Summit, June 12 & 16, 2026 (Amsterdam)
reactsummit.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=JamesSnell
💫 TechLeadConf, June 11 & 12, 2026 (Amsterdam)
techleadconf.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=JamesSnell
and more!
🚀 Check out all the upcoming events from GitNation:
🔗 gitnation.com/events?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=JamesSnell
Don't forget to use INSIDER20 promo code for 20% off on tickets.
#NodeCongress #NodeJS #JavaScript #WebStreams #StreamsAPI #Cloudflare #CloudflareWorkers #Performance #AsyncIterators #BackPressure #WebDev #JSPerformance #NodeJSPerformance #ServerSideRendering #NextJS #TypeScript #OpenSource #SoftwareEngineering #BackendDevelopment #JamesSnell
Web Streams API promised one streaming model for every runtime. It delivered — along with memory leaks, hidden buffers, and performance so bad that Next.js quietly creates 250 objects to move a single chunk of data 🤯
One Next.js request: 250 ReadableStream objects created and thrown away just to move a single chunk of data through the pipeline.
👉 James Snell (Cloudflare) decided we deserve better. Here's what he built.
👤 James Snell — Principal Engineer at Cloudflare Workers Runtime, Node.js TSC member and core contributor. Built HTTP/2, WHATWG URL, and QUIC in Node.js. Author of JavaScript In Depth (Manning).
👉 Connect with James:
🔗 github.com/jasnell
✍️ This talk was part of Node Congress 2026:
We Deserve a Better Streams API for the Web | James Snell
🔗 nodecongress.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=JamesSnell
What's inside:
✅ Every read, every write — a hidden promise. Why this kills your performance
✅ Real production fires: React SSR deadlocks, AWS SDK meltdowns, Node Fetch eating your connection pool
✅ tee() buffers grow forever — and the spec designed it that way
✅ The replacement: just iterators. No classes, no locks, no overhead
✅ Backpressure that can't be ignored — and tee() done right
✅ 22–125× faster. Every major runtime. Benchmarks included
📌 Follow the link to watch the full version of the talk and gain access to all Node Congress recordings:
🔗 gitnation.com/events/node-congress-2026?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=JamesSnell
💬 Don’t just watch — get your toughest architecture questions answered in real-time, be part of the room where Seniors and Architects shape the future, get ahead of the curve. Join us live at the next event!
🔗 gitnation.com/events?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=JamesSnell
🕐 Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:43 - Web Streams: an order of magnitude slower. Why it matters
01:07 - Your 20% Off 🤫
03:00 - Five problems with the API: boilerplate, locks, hidden buffers, promises, chaos
05:27 - tee() will eat your heap — and the spec designed it that way
08:58 - Real bugs: Next.js, AWS SDK, Node Fetch, React SSR
13:21 - The new design: streams are just iterators
16:19 - Backpressure that actually bites + full API walkthrough
22:56 - Benchmarks: up to 125× faster across every runtime
26:35 - Summary + how to get started
30:33 - Q&A
📌 We’ve hidden a secret code for 20% off your next event.
Join our upcoming conferences!
💫 JSNation 2026 June 11 & 15, 2026 (Amsterdam)
🔗jsnation.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=JamesSnell
💫 React Summit, June 12 & 16, 2026 (Amsterdam)
reactsummit.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=JamesSnell
💫 TechLeadConf, June 11 & 12, 2026 (Amsterdam)
techleadconf.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=JamesSnell
and more!
🚀 Check out all the upcoming events from GitNation:
🔗 gitnation.com/events?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=JamesSnell
Don't forget to use INSIDER20 promo code for 20% off on tickets.
#NodeCongress #NodeJS #JavaScript #WebStreams #StreamsAPI #Cloudflare #CloudflareWorkers #Performance #AsyncIterators #BackPressure #WebDev #JSPerformance #NodeJSPerformance #ServerSideRendering #NextJS #TypeScript #OpenSource #SoftwareEngineering #BackendDevelopment #JamesSnell
