ValueTuple vs. Tuple in C#: What are the Key Differences and When Should You Use Each?

System.ValueTuple vs. System.Tuple

What's the Difference?

System.ValueTuple and System.Tuple are two types that can be used to represent tuples in C#. However, there are several key differences between them.

Key Differences

Feature	ValueTuple	Tuple
Value type	Yes	No
Mutability	Mutable	Immutable
Item access	Fields	Properties
Syntax sugar	Supports deconstruction and named arguments	Does not
Performance	Allocation-free on the stack	Requires heap allocation

ValueTuple

ValueTuple is a value type (struct), which means it is allocated on the stack and does not require garbage collection. It is a mutable struct, so its values can be changed after it has been created. ValueTuple exposes its items via fields instead of properties.

Tuple

Tuple is a reference type (class), which means it is allocated on the heap and requires garbage collection. It is an immutable class, so its values cannot be changed after it has been created. Tuple exposes its items via properties.

Why Use ValueTuple?

Using ValueTuple has several advantages over using Tuple:

• Avoids allocation penalty due to being a value type
• Provides automatic shallow equality semantics
• Supports deconstruction and named arguments, which makes working with tuples more convenient and less ambiguous
• Optimized equality implementation for better performance

Example

Using ValueTuple syntax:

public (int sum, int count) DoStuff(IEnumerable<int> values)
{
    var result = (sum: 0, count: 0);
    foreach (var value in values) { result.sum += value; result.count++; }
    return result;
}

Using deconstruction:

var (sum, count) = DoStuff(Enumerable.Range(0, 10));
Console.WriteLine($"Sum: {sum}, Count: {count}");

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