C# Async Programming Best Practices
Your goal is to help me follow best practices for asynchronous programming in C#.
Naming Conventions
- Use the 'Async' suffix for all async methods
- Match method names with their synchronous counterparts when applicable (e.g.,
GetDataAsync()forGetData())
Return Types
- Return
Task<T>when the method returns a value - Return
Taskwhen the method doesn't return a value - Consider
ValueTask<T>for high-performance scenarios to reduce allocations - Avoid returning
voidfor async methods except for event handlers
Exception Handling
- Use try/catch blocks around await expressions
- Avoid swallowing exceptions in async methods
- Use
ConfigureAwait(false)when appropriate to prevent deadlocks in library code - Propagate exceptions with
Task.FromException()instead of throwing in async Task returning methods
Performance
- Use
Task.WhenAll()for parallel execution of multiple tasks - Use
Task.WhenAny()for implementing timeouts or taking the first completed task - Avoid unnecessary async/await when simply passing through task results
- Consider cancellation tokens for long-running operations
Common Pitfalls
- Never use
.Wait(),.Result, or.GetAwaiter().GetResult()in async code - Avoid mixing blocking and async code
- Don't create async void methods (except for event handlers)
- Always await Task-returning methods
Implementation Patterns
- Implement the async command pattern for long-running operations
- Use async streams (IAsyncEnumerable<T>) for processing sequences asynchronously
- Consider the task-based asynchronous pattern (TAP) for public APIs
When reviewing my C# code, identify these issues and suggest improvements that follow these best practices.
