Preface

For most of us, "performance" is a word with a single meaning. When it comes to software production, this meaning usually corresponds to something fast. A fast program is a good program. Although this is not is a wrong assertion, the meaning of the word "performance" is wider and deeper.

Writing a responsive UI actually means writing a performing UI. Deploying a worker role across Microsoft Azure, which is able to scale up to 100 cores, and handling millions of messages per hour actually means writing a performing workflow. The two examples show two different kinds of performance, and more exist.

Other than multiple meanings, the word "performance" also refers to multiple implementation levels. For example, a developer has to keep the security aspect of his application in mind right from the outset, because using a simple X509 certificate does not make an insecure web application secure. The same is true when it comes to performance.

If we want to create a high-performance application, we have to design a high-performance architecture right from the start, implement performance-oriented strategies, and bring up a good performance-engineered project that is able to assist the wider development project to create valid performance requisites and tests.

As developers, we cannot avoid mastering all the techniques required to help us face day-to-day challenges. Asynchronous programming and parallel programming are two examples. Mastering such techniques helps us create good software in terms of responsiveness and scalability. A clear understanding of the .NET Framework has to become part of the knowledge arsenal for any .NET developer; understanding memory management, process isolation, and thread life cycle are examples.

Lots of real-world examples will be available in this book. They will be about the most widely used programming techniques and scenarios, together with special-case programming recipes for big data, engineering, and database integration.

All of these topics are covered here with enthusiasm and expertise.