I am trying to understand if there is any difference. I'll try to explain it with an example from express docs: https://expressjs.com/en/guide/using-middleware.html

function logOriginalUrl (req, res, next) {
  console.log('Request URL:', req.originalUrl)
  next()
}

function logMethod (req, res, next) {
  console.log('Request Type:', req.method)
  next()
}

const logStuff = [logOriginalUrl, logMethod]
app.get('/user/:id', logStuff, (req, res, next) => {
  res.send('User Info')
})

logOriginalUrl and logMethod are middlewares in this example. What would happen if I write it like:

function logOriginalUrl() {
  console.log('Request URL:', req.originalUrl);
}

function logMethod() {
  console.log('Request Type:', req.method);
}

app.get('/user/:id', (req, res, next) => {
  logOriginalUrl();
  logMethod();
  res.send('User Info')
})

Is there any difference between these two? This is a very simple example but it can be applied for any other example where you have to manipulate req or do anything else.

What is the difference between a middleware and calling + awaiting a function inside route handler?

Theoretically, anything I can do as middleware, I feel like I can achieve exact same thing by awaiting same function in route handler function. So, what do I miss?