When Should You Use Async Controllers in ASP.NET MVC?

When should Async Controllers be utilized in ASP.NET MVC?

Understanding Async Controllers

Async controllers in ASP.NET MVC provide a mechanism for freeing up threads, particularly request threads, to enhance server scalability. However, it is crucial to note that async controllers do not:

• Accelerate individual request completion time
• Return execution to the caller/browser upon encountering an await statement (it only yields to the ASP.NET thread pool)

When to Use Async Controllers

It is generally recommended to employ async controllers for I/O operations. However, there are specific cases where their use may not be beneficial:

• CPU-bound methods: Using async controllers for CPU-intensive operations is counterproductive as it involves unnecessarily allocating another thread without freeing up the request thread.

Async and Database Queries

Async controllers can be used with awaitable methods to perform asynchronous database queries. Most major ORMs (e.g., EF, NHibernate) support async operations.

Scalability Considerations

The scalability benefits of async controllers depend on the backend database's scalability. If the backend database is limited to a single instance and is already handling the maximum requests IIS can generate, async controllers will not enhance performance. However, async controllers can prove beneficial if the backend employs scalable architectures such as SQL Server clusters or NoSQL databases.

Multiple Asynchronous Queries in a Single Action Method

There is no restriction on the number of asynchronous queries that can be executed within a single action method. However, certain ORMs may enforce a one-operation-per-connection rule, which applies to both synchronous and asynchronous operations.

Additional Considerations

It is essential to consider the following when using async controllers:

• ORMs may enforce restrictions on the number of simultaneous operations per connection.
• Employing async controllers with a backend that has limited scalability may not yield significant performance gains.

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