Should You Use Async Calls in Your EF 6 Application?

Entity Framework 6: Async vs. Sync Database Calls – A Balanced Perspective

Microsoft's latest Entity Framework (EF) 6 tutorial emphasizes asynchronous database calls, prompting a closer examination of the rationale. This article weighs the benefits and drawbacks of both asynchronous and synchronous approaches to help developers make informed decisions.

Async and Sync: Weighing the Pros and Cons

Choosing between asynchronous (async) and synchronous (sync) methods requires careful consideration of their respective strengths and weaknesses:

Asynchronous Calls:

• Enhanced Scalability: Reduces the risk of thread pool exhaustion, crucial for handling many concurrent requests.
• Improved Concurrency: Enables higher levels of concurrent database operations.
• Memory Optimization: Conserves memory by approximately 1MB per thread.
• Thread Safety: Maintains concurrency within individual requests, ensuring thread safety.
• Performance Gains (Under Load): Offers slightly better throughput under heavy loads due to reduced OS scheduling overhead.

Synchronous Calls:

• Simplified Development: Results in cleaner, more easily understood code, minimizing error potential.
• Increased Productivity: Less development and debugging time.
• Easier Debugging: More profile-friendly, allowing easier suspension and state examination.
• Backward Compatibility: Works seamlessly with existing code and libraries.

Practical Recommendations for EF 6 Applications

Microsoft's recommendation to favor async calls in EF 6 is particularly relevant for operations involving high-latency services, such as lengthy database queries or web requests.

However, for typical OLTP database interactions with low latency, synchronous operations often prove more efficient and simpler to implement. The optimal choice depends heavily on the specific application context and its performance profile.

While Microsoft's guidance may reflect internal strategies or predictions about EF's future use in client applications, the ultimate decision should be driven by the application's unique needs and performance characteristics. A balanced approach, considering both simplicity and scalability, is key.

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