A Design Space Exploration of Async/Await

Abstract: Many modern programming languages include some form of asynchronous programming. In particular, a growing number now have what we call straight-line asynchrony: attempts to provide asynchronous functions that look similar to synchronous functions, thereby enabling asynchrony without introducing complex control. These languages often share construct names like “async” and “await,” which suggests that they have deep semantic similarities. Yet, a close examination reveals that these languages are quite different along several dimensions, often subtly. These differences have real semantic consequences: similar-looking programs can exhibit divergent behavior, confusing developers and language designers alike.

This paper therefore presents a design space exploration of straight-line asynchrony. We dissect several existing languages, and show how no two of them agree as a whole on design decisions that affect the presence and ordering of execution. We articulate a design space with nine dimensions covering the full lifecycle of an asynchronous computation, covering questions such as: What precise guarantees does a language give upon calling an asynchronous function? What happens at the end of a task’s life? How can a task handle being cancelled? We explore these questions through concrete examples, informal design discussion, and a formal semantics. Our ultimate goal is to help programmers, language designers, and language theorists all better understand the emerging landscape of straight-line asynchrony.