08-channels.md

08 - Channels

Goal

Use Channel<T> for modern asynchronous producer/consumer workflows.

Task

Improve the background queue using:

System.Threading.Channels

Step-by-step

1. Create a bounded channel.
2. Configure BoundedChannelOptions.
3. Use WriteAsync for producers.
4. Use ReadAsync for consumers.
5. Add graceful completion.
6. Add tests for cancellation and backpressure.

Important options

new BoundedChannelOptions(capacity)
{
    FullMode = BoundedChannelFullMode.Wait,
    SingleReader = false,
    SingleWriter = false
};

Questions to answer

• What is backpressure?
• What happens when the channel is full?
• What is the difference between TryWrite and WriteAsync?
• When should the writer be completed?

Key takeaway

Channel<T> is a strong default for async producer/consumer code in modern .NET.