Swift.org's Swift Async Algorithms
Original post Swift Async Algorithms
Article Summary
Tony Parker from Apple just dropped a game-changer for async Swift development. If you've been wrestling with time-based operations or multi-input streams, this new package solves problems you didn't know had elegant solutions.
Apple released Swift Async Algorithms, an open-source package that brings production-ready algorithms for AsyncSequence. Built on Swift 5.5's async/await foundation, it tackles the notoriously complex challenge of handling values over time with algorithms like debounce, throttle, and combineLatest.
Key Takeaways
- Includes 7+ algorithms: zip, combineLatest, merge, chain, buffer, debounce, throttle
- Debounce input handling in one line: input.debounce(for: .seconds(0.5))
- Cross-platform package works across iOS versions without OS dependencies
- Natural error handling with try/await, no complex operator chains required
- Applies real-world lessons learned from Combine framework since 2019
Swift Async Algorithms gives developers battle-tested, time-based operations for AsyncSequence that are simpler to implement and reason about than Combine's operator chains.
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What This Article Covers
Swift developers kept running into the same problem: managing multiple asynchronous inputs at once. The edge cases were tricky, and each project ended up with its own custom code to handle them.
Tony Parker's team at Apple built Swift Async Algorithms, an open-source package that solves this. It includes well-tested implementations of operations like zip, combineLatest, and merge. The package is built on Swift 5.5's AsyncSequence.
Developers can now write asynchronous code using simple for/in loops and try/catch blocks instead of chaining complex operators. The package works across different iOS versions without extra work.
This page summarizes “Swift Async Algorithms” by Swift.org Blog, published Mar 24, 2022. All credit for the original work goes to the authors.
