StackExchange.Redis transaction methods freezes - redis

I have this code to add object and index field in Stackexchange.Redis.
All methods in transaction freeze thread. Why ?
var transaction = Database.CreateTransaction();
//this line freeze thread. WHY ?
await transaction.StringSetAsync(KeyProvider.GetForID(obj.ID), PreSaveObject(obj));
await transaction.HashSetAsync(emailKey, new[] { new HashEntry(obj.Email, Convert.ToString(obj.ID)) });
return await transaction.ExecuteAsync();

Commands executed inside a transaction do not return results until after you execute the transaction. This is simply a feature of how transactions work in Redis. At the moment you are awaiting something that hasn't even been sent yet (transactions are buffered locally until executed) - but even if it had been sent: results simply aren't available until the transaction completes.
If you want the result, you should store (not await) the task, and await it after the execute:
var fooTask = tran.SomeCommandAsync(...);
if(await tran.ExecuteAsync()) {
var foo = await fooTask;
}
Note that this is cheaper than it looks: when the transaction executes, the nested tasks get their results at the same time - and await handles that scenario efficiently.

Marc's answer works, but in my case it caused a decent amount of code bloat (and it's easy to forget to do it this way), so I came up with an abstraction that sort of enforces the pattern.
Here's how you use it:
await db.TransactAsync(commands => commands
.Enqueue(tran => tran.SomeCommandAsync(...))
.Enqueue(tran => tran.SomeCommandAsync(...))
.Enqueue(tran => tran.SomeCommandAsync(...)));
Here's the implementation:
public static class RedisExtensions
{
public static async Task TransactAsync(this IDatabase db, Action<RedisCommandQueue> addCommands)
{
var tran = db.CreateTransaction();
var q = new RedisCommandQueue(tran);
addCommands(q);
if (await tran.ExecuteAsync())
await q.CompleteAsync();
}
}
public class RedisCommandQueue
{
private readonly ITransaction _tran;
private readonly IList<Task> _tasks = new List<Task>();
public RedisCommandQueue Enqueue(Func<ITransaction, Task> cmd)
{
_tasks.Add(cmd(_tran));
return this;
}
internal RedisCommandQueue(ITransaction tran) => _tran = tran;
internal Task CompleteAsync() => Task.WhenAll(_tasks);
}
One caveat: This doesn't provide an easy way to get at the result of any of the commands. In my case (and the OP's) that's ok - I'm always using transactions for a series of writes. I found this really helped trim down my code, and by only exposing tran inside Enqueue (which requires you to return a Task), I'm less likely to "forget" that I shouldn't be awaiting those commands at the time I call them.

I and our team were bitten by this issue several times, so I created a simple Roslyn analyzer to spot such problems.
https://github.com/olsh/stack-exchange-redis-analyzer

Related

FindAsync never comes back however Find works just fine

I am using FluentValidation to validate the objects. I am simply checking checking whether the user exists in database or not. In my case, DbContext.Entity.Find works just fine but DbContext.Entity.FindAsync never returns.
Please refer to the below source code where it is happening.
public class ChangeStatusOfUserCommandValidator : AbstractValidator<ChangeStatusOfUserCommand>
{
private readonly FieldSellDbContext dbContext;
private ChangeStatusOfUserCommandValidator()
{ }
public ChangeStatusOfUserCommandValidator(FieldSellDbContext databaseContext)
{
dbContext = databaseContext;
RuleFor(u => u.UserId).NotEmpty();
RuleFor(u => u.UserId).MustAsync(UserExists).WithMessage("Provided user id already exists in the database.");
}
public async Task<bool> UserExists(int value, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
{
var user = await dbContext.Users.FindAsync(value, cancellationToken);
//var user = dbContext.Users.Find(value); --Works fine even in async method
return user != null;
}
}
Thanks
Your problem is almost certainly further up your call stack, where the code is calling Task<T>.Result, Task.Wait(), Task.GetAwaiter().GetResult(), or some similar blocking method. If your code blocks on asynchronous code in a single-threaded context (e.g., on a UI thread), it can deadlock.
The proper solution is to use async all the way; that is, use await instead of blocking on asynchronous code. Fluent validation has an asynchronous workflow (e.g., ValidateAsync, MustAsync), so you'll need to be sure to use that rather than the synchronous APIs.

Start a task with clean AsyncLocal state

In ASP.NET Core, I am using IHttpContextAccessor to access the current HttpContext. HttpContextAccessor uses AsyncLocal<T>.
In one situation, I am trying to start a Task from within a request, that should continue running after the request has ended (long running, background task), and I am trying to detach it from the current execution context so that IHttpContextAccessor returns null (otherwise I am accessing an invalid HttpContext).
I tried Task.Run, Thread.Start, but every time, the context seems to carry over and IHttpContextAccessor returns the old context whatever I try (sometimes even contexts from other requests 🤔).
How can I start a task that will have a clean AsyncLocal state so that IHttpContextAccessor returns null?
Late answer but might be useful for someone else. You can do this by suppressing the ExecutionContext flow as you submit your task:
ExecutionContext.SuppressFlow();
var task = Task.Run(async () => {
await LongRunningMethodAsync();
});
ExecutionContext.RestoreFlow();
or better:
using (ExecutionContext.SuppressFlow()) {
var task = Task.Run(async () => {
await LongRunningMethodAsync();
});
}
This will prevent the ExecutionContext being captured in the submitted task. Therefore it will have a 'clean' AsyncLocal state.
As above though I wouldn't do this in ASP.net if it's CPU intensive background work.
You could await the long running task and set HttpContext to null inside await. It would be safe for all code outside the task.
[Fact]
public async Task AsyncLocalTest()
{
_accessor = new HttpContextAccessor();
_accessor.HttpContext = new DefaultHttpContext();
await LongRunningTaskAsync();
Assert.True(_accessor.HttpContext != null);
}
private async Task LongRunningTaskAsync()
{
_accessor.HttpContext = null;
}
You could run a separate thread, it doesn't matter.
Task.Run(async () => await LongRunningTaskAsync());
Just make the task awaitable to cleanup HttpContext for the task's async context only.

How to check if async/await really async?

I have built a certain application( service ) based on async/await new keywords in c# 5.0 using WebApi which it self cool, I have create a call from Oracle db Http_Request, but i have tested and it's not really feels right, how can I unit test the async matter if this?
public async Task<WebResponse> Post(Customer customer)
{
if (!customer.ReturnSuccess()) throw new ArgumentNullException("customer");
_logger.Info(string.Format("Customer validation request - date = {0} \n {1}\t\n", DateTime.Now, customer));
try
{
return await Task.Factory.StartNew(() => _service.EvaluateCustomer(customer));
}
catch (Exception e)
{
_logger.ErrorException("Error", e);
}
return null;
}
Do not Unit Test language features - they are already tested by someone who has much more money than you. Test your business logic instead.
Read msdn about async/await behaviour here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/vstudio/hh156513.aspx
The method runs synchronously until it reaches its first await
expression, at which point the method is suspended until the awaited
task is complete. In the meantime, control returns to the caller of
the method, as the example later in this topic shows.
I agree with Cheburek in general: don't waste your time unit testing things like await and Task.Run.
However, if you want to ensure your method is properly waiting for EvaluateCustomer, then you inject a service that is under your control and ensure Post only completes after EvaluateCustomer completes:
[TestMethod]
public async Task PostWaitsForEvaluateCustomer()
{
var finishEvaluateCustomer = new ManualResetEvent(false);
var service = new MyFakeService(finishEvaluateCustomer)
{
EvaluateCustomer = _ => finishEvaluateCustomer.WaitOne();
};
var objectUnderTest = new MyObject(service);
Task postTask = objectUnderTest.Post(..);
Assert.IsFalse(postTask.IsCompleted);
finishEvaluateCustomer.Set();
await postTask;
}

Async WCF Service with multiple async calls inside

I have a web service in WCF that consume some external web services, so what I want to do is make this service asynchronous in order to release the thread, wait for the completion of all the external services, and then return the result to the client.
With Framework 4.0
public class MyService : IMyService
{
public IAsyncResult BeginDoWork(int count, AsyncCallback callback, object serviceState)
{
var proxyOne = new Gateway.BackendOperation.BackendOperationOneSoapClient();
var proxyTwo = new Gateway.BackendOperationTwo.OperationTwoSoapClient();
var taskOne = Task<int>.Factory.FromAsync(proxyOne.BeginGetNumber, proxyOne.EndGetNumber, 10, serviceState);
var taskTwo = Task<int>.Factory.FromAsync(proxyTwo.BeginGetNumber, proxyTwo.EndGetNumber, 10, serviceState);
var tasks = new Queue<Task<int>>();
tasks.Enqueue(taskOne);
tasks.Enqueue(taskTwo);
return Task.Factory.ContinueWhenAll(tasks.ToArray(), innerTasks =>
{
var tcs = new TaskCompletionSource<int>(serviceState);
int sum = 0;
foreach (var innerTask in innerTasks)
{
if (innerTask.IsFaulted)
{
tcs.SetException(innerTask.Exception);
callback(tcs.Task);
return;
}
if (innerTask.IsCompleted)
{
sum = innerTask.Result;
}
}
tcs.SetResult(sum);
callback(tcs.Task);
});
}
public int EndDoWork(IAsyncResult result)
{
try
{
return ((Task<int>)result).Result;
}
catch (AggregateException ex)
{
throw ex.InnerException;
}
}
}
My questions here are:
This code is using three threads: one that is instanced in the
BeginDoWork, another one that is instanced when the code enter
inside the anonymous method ContinueWhenAll, and the last one when
the callback is executed, in this case EndDoWork. Is that correct or
I’m doing something wrong on the calls? Should I use any
synchronization context? Note: The synchronization context is null
on the main thread.
What happen if I “share” information between
threads, for instance, the callback function? Will that cause a
performance issue or the anonymous method is like a closure where I
can share data?
With Framework 4.5 and Async and Await
Now with Framework 4.5, the code seems too much simple than before:
public async Task<int> DoWorkAsync(int count)
{
var proxyOne = new Backend.ServiceOne.ServiceOneClient();
var proxyTwo = new Backend.ServiceTwo.ServiceTwoClient();
var doWorkOne = proxyOne.DoWorkAsync(count);
var doWorkTwo = proxyTwo.DoWorkAsync(count);
var result = await Task.WhenAll(doWorkOne, doWorkTwo);
return doWorkOne.Result + doWorkTwo.Result;
}
But in this case when I debug the application, I always see that the code is executed on the same thread. So my questions here are:
3.. When I’m waiting for the “awaitable” code, is that thread released and goes back to the thread pool to execute more requests?
3.1. If So, I suppose that when I get a result from the await Task, the execution completes on the same thread that the call before. Is that possible? What happen if that thread is processing another request?
3.2 If Not, how can I release the thread to send it back to the thread pool with Asycn and Await pattern?
Thank you!
1. This code is using three threads: one that is instanced in the BeginDoWork, another one that is instanced when the code enter inside the anonymous method ContinueWhenAll, and the last one when the callback is executed, in this case EndDoWork. Is that correct or I’m doing something wrong on the calls? Should I use any synchronization context?
It's better to think in terms of "tasks" rather than "threads". You do have three tasks here, each of which will run on the thread pool, one at a time.
2. What happen if I “share” information between threads, for instance, the callback function? Will that cause a performance issue or the anonymous method is like a closure where I can share data?
You don't have to worry about synchronization because each of these tasks can't run concurrently. BeginDoWork registers the continuation just before returning, so it's already practically done when the continuation can run. EndDoWork will probably not be called until the continuation is complete; but even if it is, it will block until the continuation is complete.
(Technically, the continuation can start running before BeginDoWork completes, but BeginDoWork just returns at that point, so it doesn't matter).
3. When I’m waiting for the “awaitable” code, is that thread released and goes back to the thread pool to execute more requests?
Yes.
3.1. If So, I suppose that when I get a result from the await Task, the execution completes on the same thread that the call before. Is that possible? What happen if that thread is processing another request?
No. Your host (in this case, ASP.NET) may continue the async methods on any thread it happens to have available.
This is perfectly safe because only one thread is executing at a time.
P.S. I recommend
var result = await Task.WhenAll(doWorkOne, doWorkTwo);
return result[0] + result[1];
instead of
var result = await Task.WhenAll(doWorkOne, doWorkTwo);
return doWorkOne.Result + doWorkTwo.Result;
because Task.Result should be avoided in async programming.

Have multiple calls wait on the same internal async task

(Note: this is an over-simplified scenario to demonstrate my coding issue.)
I have the following class interface:
public class CustomerService
{
Task<IEnumerable<Customer>> FindCustomersInArea(String areaName);
Task<Customer> GetCustomerByName(String name);
:
}
This is the client-side of a RESTful API which loads a list of Customer objects from the server then exposes methods that allows client code to consume and work against that list.
Both of these methods work against the internal list of Customers retrieved from the server as follows:
private Task<IEnumerable<Customer>> LoadCustomersAsync()
{
var tcs = new TaskCompletionSource<IEnumerable<Customer>>();
try
{
// GetAsync returns Task<HttpResponseMessage>
Client.GetAsync(uri).ContinueWith(task =>
{
if (task.IsCanceled)
{
tcs.SetCanceled();
}
else if (task.IsFaulted)
{
tcs.SetException(task.Exception);
}
else
{
// Convert HttpResponseMessage to desired return type
var response = task.Result;
var list = response.Content.ReadAs<IEnumerable<Customer>>();
tcs.SetResult(list);
}
});
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
tcs.SetException(ex);
}
}
The Client class is a custom version of the HttpClient class from the WCF Web API (now ASP.NET Web API) because I am working in Silverlight and they don't have an SL version of their client assemblies.
After all that background, here's my problem:
All of the methods in the CustomerService class use the list returned by the asynchronous LoadCustomersAsync method; therefore, any calls to these methods should wait (asynchronously) until the LoadCustomers method has returned and the appopriate logic executed on the returned list.
I also only want one call made from the client (in LoadCustomers) at a time. So, I need all of the calls to the public methods to wait on the same internal task.
To review, here's what I need to figure out how to accomplish:
Any call to FindCustomersInArea and GetCustomerByName should return a Task that waits for the LoadCustomersAsync method to complete. If LoadCustomersAsync has already returned (and the cached list still valid), then the method may continue immediately.
After LoadCustomersAsync returns, each method has additional logic required to convert the list into the desired return value for the method.
There must only ever be one active call to LoadCustomersAsync (of the GetAsync method within).
If the cached list expires, then subsequent calls will trigger a reload (via LoadCustomersAsync).
Let me know if you need further clarification, but I'm hoping this is a common enough use case that someone can help me work out the logic to get the client working as desired.
Disclaimer: I'm going to assume you're using a singleton instance of your HttpClient subclass. If that's not the case we need only modify slightly what I'm about to tell you.
Yes, this is totally doable. The mechanism we're going to rely on for subsequent calls to LoadCustomersAsync is that if you attach a continuation to a Task, even if that Task completed eons ago, you're continuation will be signaled "immediately" with the task's final state.
Instead of creating/returning a new TaskCompletionSource<T> (TCS) every time from the LoadCustomerAsync method, you would instead have a field on the class that represents the TCS. This will allow your instance to remember the TCS that last represented the call that represented a cache-miss. This TCS's state will be signaled exactly the same as your existing code. You'll add the knowledge of whether or not the data has expired as another field which, combined with whether the TCS is currently null or not, will be the trigger for whether or not you actually go out and load the data again.
Ok, enough talk, it'll probably make a lot more sense if you see it.
The Code
public class CustomerService
{
// Your cache timeout (using 15mins as example, can load from config or wherever)
private static readonly TimeSpan CustomersCacheTimeout = new TimeSpan(0, 15, 0);
// A lock object used to provide thread safety
private object loadCustomersLock = new object();
private TaskCompletionSource<IEnumerable<Customer>> loadCustomersTaskCompletionSource;
private DateTime loadCustomersLastCacheTime = DateTime.MinValue;
private Task<IEnumerable<Customer>> LoadCustomersAsync()
{
lock(this.loadCustomersLock)
{
bool needToLoadCustomers = this.loadCustomersTaskCompletionSource == null
||
(this.loadCustomersTaskCompletionSource.Task.IsFaulted || this.loadCustomersTaskCompletionSource.Task.IsCanceled)
||
DateTime.Now - this.loadCustomersLastCacheTime.Value > CustomersService.CustomersCacheTimeout;
if(needToLoadCustomers)
{
this.loadCustomersTaskCompletionSource = new TaskCompletionSource<IEnumerable<Customer>>();
try
{
// GetAsync returns Task<HttpResponseMessage>
Client.GetAsync(uri).ContinueWith(antecedent =>
{
if(antecedent.IsCanceled)
{
this.loadCustomersTaskCompletionSource.SetCanceled();
}
else if(antecedent.IsFaulted)
{
this.loadCustomersTaskCompletionSource.SetException(antecedent.Exception);
}
else
{
// Convert HttpResponseMessage to desired return type
var response = antecedent.Result;
var list = response.Content.ReadAs<IEnumerable<Customer>>();
this.loadCustomersTaskCompletionSource.SetResult(list);
// Record the last cache time
this.loadCustomersLastCacheTime = DateTime.Now;
}
});
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
this.loadCustomersTaskCompletionSource.SetException(ex);
}
}
}
}
return this.loadCustomersTaskCompletionSource.Task;
}
Scenarios where the customers aren't loaded:
If it's the first call, the TCS will be null so the TCS will be created and customers fetched.
If the previous call faulted or was canceled, a new TCS will be created and the customers fetched.
If the cache timeout has expired, a new TCS will be created and the customers fetched.
Scenarios where the customers are loading/loaded:
If the customers are in the process of loading, the existing TCS's Task will be returned and any continuations added to the task using ContinueWith will be executed once the TCS has been signaled.
If the customers are already loaded, the existing TCS's Task will be returned and any continuations added to the task using ContinueWith will be executed as soon as the scheduler sees fit.
NOTE: I used a coarse grained locking approach here and you could theoretically improve performance with a reader/writer implementation, but it would probably be a micro-optimization in your case.
I think you should change the way you call Client.GetAsync(uri). Do it roughly like this:
Lazy<Task> getAsyncLazy = new Lazy<Task>(() => Client.GetAsync(uri));
And in your LoadCustomersAsync method you write:
getAsyncLazy.Value.ContinueWith(task => ...
This will ensure that GetAsync only gets called once and that everyone interested in its result will receive the same task.