Asynchronous programming lets a computation finish independently of the execution flow that started it. In streaming web applications, it supports receiving and processing response chunks while an AI model continues generating output. section 3.2.1
A streaming request typically moves through these stages:
- The client requests a streaming response from the server. section 3.2.1
- The server begins processing the AI-generated response without waiting for completion. section 3.2.1
- The server sends available data in smaller chunks through chunked transfer encoding. section 3.2.1
- The client processes arriving data and updates the interface while the response continues. section 3.2.1
Production streaming also requires connection management, buffering, and consistent error handling. The Vercel AI SDK abstracts these responsibilities, including interruptions, reconnections, midstream failures, and UI-facing updates. section 3.2.1 section 3.5
Streaming AI chat
A chat interface can display an AI response as it is generated instead of waiting for the complete response. Functions such as streamText and hooks such as useChat support this interaction. section 3.5
1F\r\n Hello, world! This is an ex \r\n 1D\r\n ample of chunked transfer encoding. \r\n 0\r\n \r\n
Inspect the chunked transfer encoding example to see how one response is divided into independently delivered pieces. section 3.2.1
