Zig's new plan for asynchronous programs
9 days ago
- #Programming Languages
- #Asynchronous I/O
- #Zig
- Zig's new approach to asynchronous I/O aims to solve the function coloring problem and allows code to execute correctly with either synchronous or asynchronous I/O.
- The new design hides asynchronous operations behind a generic interface called Io, which is passed as a parameter to functions needing I/O operations.
- Two built-in implementations of the Io interface are provided: Io.Threaded (synchronous operations with optional threading) and Io.Evented (asynchronous I/O using an event loop).
- Library authors can write functions that work with both synchronous and asynchronous I/O without needing to know which implementation the user will choose.
- The async() function allows operations to be performed in parallel when using Io.Evented, while Io.Threaded runs them sequentially.
- For scenarios requiring simultaneous execution (e.g., listening for connections and handling user input), asyncConcurrent() is used.
- The design maintains Zig's minimalist philosophy, avoiding special syntax for asynchronous code and leveraging existing control-flow primitives.
- Asynchronous I/O in Zig is still experimental, with ongoing work on Io.Evented and plans for WebAssembly compatibility.
- Zig is progressing toward its 1.0 release, with asynchronous I/O being a major milestone.