NodeJS + async: which control flow option to chose?

As you know, async.parallel, defined with a such code:

async.parallel([
    function (callback) {
        callback(err, objects);
    },
    function (callback) {
        callback(err, status);
    },
    function (callback) {
        callback(err, status);
    },
], function (err, results) {
    //smth with results[N] array...
});

performs all the tasks all together parallel. However, I need the callback result of first function (objects, to be exact) to be avialable in 2nd and 3rd functions. In other words, first step – 1st function, second – ( 2rd + 3rd parallel with results of the 1st one). async.waterfall seems to be a bad idea 'cause:

  1. In waterfall function can't work parallel
  2. I can't get access to every result of stack, only to the last.

Any ideas? Thanks!

You need both waterfall and parallel.

function thing1(callback) {...callback(null, thing1Result);}
function thing2A(thing1Result, callback) {...}
function thing2B(thing1Result, callback) {...}
function thing2(thing1Result, callback) {
    async.parallel([
      async.apply(thing2A, thing1Result),
      async.apply(thing2B, thing1Result)
    ], callback);
}
async.waterfall([thing1, thing2], function (error) {
    //all done
});

There's no need to use async. With async you are basically black-boxing your app. Because I don't like the magic for easy tasks, vanilla js:

var f1 = function (cb){
    ...
    cb (null, "result from f1"); //null error
};

var f2 = function (resultFromF1, cb){
    ...
    cb (null); //null error
};

var f3 = function (resultFromF1, cb){
    ...
    cb (null); //null error
};


var main = function (cb){
    f1 (function (error, resultFromF1){
        if (error) return cb ([error]);

        var errors = [];
        var remaining = 2;
        var finish = function (error){
            if (error) errors.push (error); 
            if (!--remaining){
                //f2 and f3 have finished
                cb (errors.length ? errors : null);
            }
        };

        f2 (resultFromF1, finish);
        f3 (resultFromF1, finish);
    });
};

main (function (errors){
    if (errors) return handleError (errors); //errors is an array
    ...
});