Why should one use AFNetworking's async methods, when an async call can be done simply with GCD?
dispatch_async(bgQ, ^{
//NSURLConnection code
dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
//UI code
});
});
This is answered in detail at the top of the AFNetworking FAQ:
While NSURLConnection
provides +sendAsynchronousRequest:queue:completionHandler:
and +sendSynchronousRequest:returningResponse:error:
, there are many benefits to using AFNetworking:
AFURLConnectionOperation
and its subclasses inherit from NSOperation
, which allows requests to be cancelled, > suspended / resumed, and managed by an NSOperationQueue
.
AFURLConnectionOperation
also allows you to easily stream uploads and downloads, handle authentication challenges, > monitor upload and download progress, and control the caching behavior or requests.
AFHTTPRequestOperation
and its subclasses distinguish between successful and unsuccessful requests based on HTTP > status codes and content type.
- AFNetworking includes media-specific request operations that transform
NSData
into more useable formats, like JSON, > XML, images, and property lists.
AFHTTPClient
provides a convenient interface to interact with web services, including default headers, authentication, > network reachability monitoring, batched operations, query string parameter serialization, and multipart form requests.
UIImageView+AFNetworking
adds a convenient way to asynchronously loads images.