Welcome to async and await in C sharp. These keywords enable asynchronous programming, allowing methods to perform long-running operations without blocking the main thread. The async keyword marks a method as asynchronous, while await pauses execution until a task completes. This improves application responsiveness significantly.
Let's understand how async await works internally. When the await keyword is encountered, the method execution pauses and control returns to the caller. The thread is freed to perform other work, improving resource utilization. When the awaited task completes, the method resumes execution. This non-blocking approach maintains application responsiveness and improves scalability.
Let's explore return types and best practices for async await. Async methods should return Task for methods without return values, or Task of T for methods returning a specific type. Only use async void for event handlers. Key best practices include always using await instead of dot Wait, avoiding async void except for events, using ConfigureAwait false in libraries, and handling exceptions properly.
Let's examine common pitfalls and their solutions. Major pitfalls include deadlocks when using dot Wait or dot Result, fire-and-forget async void methods, not handling exceptions properly, and blocking synchronous contexts. Solutions include using await instead of blocking calls, implementing proper exception handling with try-catch blocks, using CancellationToken for graceful cancellation, and configuring synchronization context appropriately.
To summarize what we've learned about async await in C sharp: These keywords enable non-blocking asynchronous programming that improves application performance. Always use Task and Task of T return types while avoiding async void. Use await instead of blocking calls, implement proper exception handling, and leverage cancellation tokens for robust applications.