Exploring the Benefits of async/await in ASP.NET Core Requests

Discover how using `async/await` in ASP.NET Core can enhance application performance, improve throughput, and optimize resource usage.
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Understanding the Benefits of async/await in ASP.NET Requests

In modern web development, performance optimization is a key factor that influences user experience and application efficiency. One popular pattern for achieving this in C# applications, especially when working with ASP.NET Core, is the async/await functionality. But what exactly are the benefits of using async/await? This guide will explore the implications of using this programming pattern, especially in ASP.NET Core endpoints.

The Context: Understanding the Code

To illustrate how async/await works, let's examine the following sample C# code used within an ASP.NET Core API:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation of How It Works

When an HTTP request reaches the ASP.NET Core endpoint, a new thread (let's call this Thread_Get) is taken from the thread pool to handle this request.

The method CallAllAsync() is invoked, which pauses Thread_Get until it reaches the first await statement in its logic, leading to the creation of a Task that represents the operations that follow.

As each CallXAsync() function is awaited, they execute sequentially, ensuring one completes before the next starts.

Analyzing Performance Benefits

This leads us to the critical question: Are there any performance benefits from using async/await with the aforementioned code structure?

Immediate Performance Assessment

At first glance, it may not seem like there are direct performance benefits:

Sequential Execution: Currently, the async methods call each other sequentially, meaning there isn't any parallel execution that could leverage multiple threads effectively.

Time Taken: Each operation (database call, HTTP call, file save) needs completion before the next starts, which could lead to longer wait times.

The Indirect Benefits

Despite the sequential nature of the calls, there is an essential performance aspect to consider:

Thread Surrendering: When you utilize async/await, while waiting for a task to complete (like a database call), the thread (in this case, Thread_Get) is surrendered back to the thread pool. This means:

Other requests can be processed in the meantime, improving the responsiveness of the application.

The application can handle multiple connections more effectively, leading to better overall throughput and resource utilization.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while the immediate performance benefits of using async/await in ASP.NET Core requests may not be evident—especially in a sequential setup—the true strength lies in the overall throughput of your application. By allowing threads to be freed while awaiting task completion, async/await ultimately improves user experience by optimizing how requests are handled concurrently.

By adopting async programming practices effectively, you prepare your application for scalability and efficiency, thereby enhancing its capability to serve more users without compromising performance.