c# - Running async methods in parallel

Question

I've got an async method, GetExpensiveThing(), which performs some expensive I/O work. This is how I am using it:

// Serial execution
public async Task<List<Thing>> GetThings()
{
    var first = await GetExpensiveThing();
    var second = await GetExpensiveThing();
    return new List<Thing>() { first, second };
}

But since it's an expensive method, I want to execute these calls in in parallel. I would have thought moving the awaits would have solved this:

// Serial execution
public async Task<List<Thing>> GetThings()
{
    var first = GetExpensiveThing();
    var second = GetExpensiveThing();
    return new List<Thing>() { await first, await second };
}

That didn't work, so I wrapped them in some tasks and this works:

// Parallel execution
public async Task<List<Thing>> GetThings()
{
    var first = Task.Run(() =>
    {
        return GetExpensiveThing();
    });

    var second = Task.Run(() =>
    {
        return GetExpensiveThing();
    });

    return new List<Thing>() { first.Result, second.Result };
}

I even tried playing around with awaits and async in and around the tasks, but it got really confusing and I had no luck.

Is there a better to run async methods in parallel, or are tasks a good approach?

Answer 1

Is there a better to run async methods in parallel, or are tasks a good approach?

Yes, the "best" approach is to utilize the Task.WhenAll method. However, your second approach should have ran in parallel. I have created a .NET Fiddle, this should help shed some light. Your second approach should actually be running in parallel. My fiddle proves this!

Consider the following:

public Task<Thing[]> GetThingsAsync()
{
    var first = GetExpensiveThingAsync();
    var second = GetExpensiveThingAsync();

    return Task.WhenAll(first, second);
}

Note

It is preferred to use the "Async" suffix, instead of GetThings and GetExpensiveThing - we should have GetThingsAsync and GetExpensiveThingAsync respectively - source.