Hello, the use of async/await in C# projects is often debated. Some argue it's essential for performance and readability in I/O-intensive applications, while others claim it's unnecessary for simple CLI or small projects. Do you think async/await should be mandatory in every C# project, or is it only worth using for long-running operations? How do you personally decide when to use it?
How essential is async/await in C#? Is it mandatory in every project?
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The best way to evaluate this is by looking at performance and resource usage. If you're building a small CLI tool or a single-user desktop app, using `async/await` without it is just a waste of resources—there's no real harm in sticking with synchronous code. But when these projects start to grow, and especially when synchronous blocks start freezing the UI because they're blocking unexpected threads, it's already too late to fix it.
I always decide based on the scenario: Is there an I/O or CPU-bound operation in the system? If it's I/O (database calls, API requests, file reads), I *always* use an async flow. Otherwise, all threads get blocked, and you end up with a system that doesn’t scale. Take a project working with a government tax system, for example—every millisecond counts for database connections. Without async, the CPU sits idle, but with synchronous blocks, the system crashes at just 1,000 users.
On the other hand, in microservice architectures, async flows are a must—without them, scaling the system becomes impossible. I once made the mistake of not adopting async programming early enough; I used synchronous code in an API call, and when we hit 5,000 users, I had to rewrite the entire stack just to reduce response times from 10 seconds to 1-2 seconds. Now, before adding async patterns to any project, I ask myself: *How will this code grow in the future?*
Async/await is actually a key feature in C# that changes the language itself. Back in the day, long-running I/O or CPU-bound operations would block the synchronous thread, but now you can let the process flow without holding up the UI thread or CPU. It's like a revolution in terms of both performance and user experience. But is it a must in every project? Well, I think the word "must" might be a bit too strong.
In small CLI tools or projects with simple synchronous tasks, you don't necessarily need async/await. Sometimes, using it unnecessarily can even complicate the code. For instance, using async for logging to a file in a short process usually doesn't provide any advantage. Here, you need to decide between synchronous and asynchronous gains.
My preference is shaped by the nature of the project: if there are I/O-intensive tasks like network calls, file reading/writing, or database queries, I definitely use async. For CPU-bound tasks, I wrap them with Task.Run to mimic async and avoid blocking UI or API threads. For small projects, simple synchronous code usually suffices. So, the main criterion is where the user has to wait or where system resources are blocked. That's where async/await becomes your friend.