CancellationToken
CancellationToken is a .NET value that communicates a cooperative request to cancel an asynchronous or otherwise cancellable operation.
C# Concurrency: Asynchronous and multithreaded programming
A CancellationToken is a .NET value that communicates a request to cancel an asynchronous or otherwise cancellable operation.
- How it is used
- Coordinates cooperative cancellation for background threads, asynchronous operations, and asynchronous iteration.
- How deep it goes
- Explains source-token separation, polling, delayed cancellation, callbacks, timeouts, linked sources, and async-iterator propagation.
- Examples
- Demonstrates cancelable background loops, long calculations, Task.Delay, async iterators, and await foreach with WithCancellation.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via .NET APIs to design cooperative cancellation and propagate requests through long-running and asynchronous workflows.
Read how C# Concurrency: Asynchronous and multithreaded programming explains CancellationToken →
.NET in Action, Second Edition
A cancellation token is a .NET value that communicates a cooperative request for an operation to stop.
- How it is used
- Coordinates stopping unwanted asynchronous I/O work, including requests made during a title search.
- How deep it goes
- Shows an explicit parameter, a pre-request check, and token propagation into HTTP and JSON APIs.
- Examples
- Uses an asynchronous comic lookup and a search that shares a token across lookup tasks.
- What you can do after
- Apply it by accepting a token, checking for cancellation, and passing it to asynchronous operations.
Read how .NET in Action, Second Edition explains CancellationToken →
Related concepts
- CancellationTokenSourceproduced by · CancellationTokenSource is a .NET type that creates and controls cancellation signals represented by CancellationToken values.
- taskused by · A task is a defined unit of work, computation, or action directed toward a result or objective.
- WithCancellationused by · WithCancellation is a .NET extension method that associates a cancellation token with an IAsyncEnumerable<T> for asynchronous iteration.
- .NETused by · .NET is Microsoft's cross-platform development platform, providing runtimes, libraries, and tools for building and running applications.
- background serviceused by · A background service is a long-running process or application component that performs work without requiring direct interactive input.
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