How Can I Launch Async Methods at Regular Intervals in C# Without Blocking User Requests?

Regularly Executing Asynchronous Tasks in C#

Efficiently collecting and transmitting data to a service without impacting user experience requires periodic method execution on a separate thread. While C#'s Timer class offers periodic method execution, its parameter requirements might not align with asynchronous methods.

Asynchronous Method Invocation

This example demonstrates invoking an asynchronous method without the Timer's parameter constraints:

<code class="language-csharp">public async Task PeriodicFooAsync(TimeSpan interval, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
{
    while (!cancellationToken.IsCancellationRequested)
    {
        await FooAsync();
        await Task.Delay(interval, cancellationToken);
    }
}</code>

Here:

• PeriodicFooAsync repeatedly calls FooAsync.
• interval sets the delay between executions.
• cancellationToken allows for controlled termination. This is crucial for graceful shutdown.

ASP.NET Considerations

While effective in general .NET applications, this approach requires careful consideration within ASP.NET. Uncontrolled "fire-and-forget" asynchronous operations can create problems. For robust ASP.NET solutions, investigate libraries like Hangfire or consult resources such as Stephen Cleary's "Fire and Forget on ASP.NET" and Scott Hanselman's "How to run Background Tasks in ASP.NET" for best practices.

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