Why does an async function return a promise even when I return an ordinary value?

Because an async function always returns a promise. The return 7 supplies the value that the promise fulfills with; it does not make the call itself return a plain number. [S1]

async function getCount() {
  return 7;
}

const result = getCount();

Here, result is a promise. The number 7 is the value it fulfills with. You do not need to write Promise.resolve(7) inside the async function just to wrap that ordinary value; returning 7 already gives the caller a promise fulfilled with it. [S1]

For this simple example, the async function is similar to a regular function that returns Promise.resolve(7): [S1]

async function getCount() {
  return 7;
}

function getCountWithPromise() {
  return Promise.resolve(7);
}

Both calls give the caller a promise fulfilled with 7. But “similar” does not mean identical in every detail; the documentation cautions against treating these forms as universally identical. [S1] The comparison explains what happens to this ordinary returned value, not that every async function can be replaced without considering its surrounding code.

Use await inside an async function, or attach .then() to the returned promise. With await, you can use the fulfilled value in the function: [S1]

async function showCount() {
  const count = await getCount();
  console.log(count); // 7
}

Or use a promise handler:

getCount().then((count) => {
  console.log(count); // 7
});

In both cases, getCount() still returns a promise. await and .then() let the caller use its fulfilled value; they do not change what getCount() returns.

Before consuming the promise, the variable holds the result of the call—which is a promise, not the number:

const countPromise = getCount();

To use the number in an async function, await the call:

async function printCount() {
  const count = await getCount();
  console.log(count); // 7
}

Or handle the fulfilled value with .then():

getCount().then((count) => console.log(count));

The change is at the call site: use await or a promise handler when you need the value. In each version, getCount() itself returns a promise; the count used after await or inside the handler is 7. [S1]