Modern C# Features: A Deep Dive into Records, Pattern Matching, Async, and Performance
Modern C# Features: A Deep Dive into Records, Pattern Matching, Async, and Performance A practical guide to the C# language features that have reshaped how we write .NET code — records, pattern matching, async/await improvements, nullable reference types, LINQ enhancements, Span<T> , and performance optimizations. Table of Contents Introduction Records Pattern Matching Async/Await Improvements Nullable Reference Types LINQ Enhancements Span<T> and Memory<T> Performance Optimizations Quick Reference Table Conclusion Introduction C# has evolved significantly since C# 8. Each release (9, 10, 11, 12, 13) has focused on three consistent themes: Conciseness — write less boilerplate to express the same intent. Safety — catch bugs at compile time instead of runtime (especially around null ). Performance — give developers low-level control without leaving the managed, safe world of .NET. This guide walks through the features that matter most in day-to-day development, with working code examples you can drop into a dotnet run project. 1. Records Introduced in C# 9 , record types give you immutable, value-based data models with almost no ceremony. Why records exist Before records, representing an immutable data object meant hand-writing a constructor, Equals , GetHashCode , ToString , and often a With -style copy method. Records generate all of this for you. // Before: a "plain" immutable class public class PersonClass { public string FirstName { get ; } public string LastName { get ; } public PersonClass ( string firstName , string lastName ) { FirstName = firstName ; LastName = lastName ; } public override bool Equals ( object ? obj ) => obj is PersonClass p && p . FirstName == FirstName && p . LastName == LastName ; public override int GetHashCode () => HashCode . Combine ( FirstName , LastName ); public override string ToString () => $"PersonClass {{ FirstName = { FirstName }, LastName = { LastName } }} " ; } // After: the same thing as a record public record Person ( stri