Is .GetAwaiter().GetResult(); safe for general use

Question

I read in a few places that .GetAwaiter().GetResult(); could cause deadlocks and that we should use async/await instead. But I see many code samples where this is used. Is it ok to use it? Which are the cases where it can deadlock? Is there something else I should use, like Task.Wait?

Answer 1

As I describe on my blog, GetAwaiter().GetResult() can deadlock when it's used in a one-thread-at-a-time context. This is most commonly seen when called on the UI thread or in an ASP.NET context (for pre-Core ASP.NET).

Wait has the same problems. The appropriate fix is to use await, and make the calling code asynchronous.

Note that the Main method in Console apps is an exception to this rule; it is perfectly appropriate to use there. Many code samples use it in this way.