How does SwiftTask compare to PromiseKit?

SwiftTask extends promises with extra features like progress tracking and cancellation, while PromiseKit focuses on standard promise patterns. SwiftTask is better for specific control needs, but PromiseKit has a larger community and broader adoption for general use.

How to implement automatic retries with SwiftTask?

Use the .retry() method on a task, specifying the number of retries. For example, task.retry(2) will retry up to two times if the task fails, as detailed in the README's retry-able section.

Does SwiftTask work with Swift's async/await?

No, SwiftTask is based on older promise patterns and does not natively integrate with Swift's modern async/await concurrency model introduced in Swift 5.5, making it less suitable for new projects using native features.

Can I cancel a network request using SwiftTask with Alamofire?

Yes, by configuring the cancel closure in the task definition and calling task.cancel(), as shown in the Alamofire example where the download task can be gracefully stopped.

Is SwiftTask still maintained in 2024?

The README shows compatibility with Swift 2.0 and links to a wiki, suggesting it might not be actively updated. Check the GitHub repository for recent commits or issues to assess current maintenance status.

How to handle progress updates in SwiftTask?

Define a progress closure in the task initialization and call progress(progressValue) inside. Then, use task.progress() to observe updates, as illustrated in the basic and Alamofire examples with detailed progress values.

Open-Awesome

SwiftTask

MITSwift5.0.0

A Swift library extending promises with progress tracking, pause, cancel, and retry capabilities.

GitHub

1.9k stars175 forks0 contributors

What is SwiftTask?

SwiftTask is a Swift library that extends the promise pattern with additional control flow features like progress tracking, pause, cancel, and retry functionality. It solves the problem of managing complex asynchronous operations in Swift applications by providing a unified API that goes beyond basic promise fulfillment and rejection.

Target Audience

Swift developers building applications that require robust asynchronous operation management, particularly those needing features like progress updates, cancellable tasks, or automatic retries for network requests.

Value Proposition

Developers choose SwiftTask because it combines the familiarity of promises with essential real-world features missing from basic promise implementations, eliminating the need to manually implement progress tracking, cancellation, or retry logic across their codebase.

Overview

Promise + progress + pause + cancel + retry for Swift.

Use Cases

Best For

Managing file downloads with progress indicators
Handling network requests that may need retries due to instability
Building media players with pause/resume functionality
Creating complex asynchronous workflows with cancellation support
Implementing task queues with progress monitoring
Wrapping existing async APIs with uniform control features

Not Ideal For

Projects using Swift's native async/await that don't require backward compatibility with promise patterns
Teams looking for a lightweight, minimal dependency for basic promise functionality without extra control features
Applications that prioritize reactive programming with Combine or RxSwift over promise-based approaches

Pros & Cons

Pros

Progress Tracking

Provides built-in progress updates for ongoing tasks, as demonstrated in the Alamofire example where download progress values are passed and monitored.

Enhanced Control Flow

Supports pause, resume, cancellation, and automatic retries via configurable closures, offering robust management beyond standard promises.

Familiar Promise API

Uses .then, .success, and .failure methods similar to JavaScript promises, making it accessible for developers already comfortable with promise chaining.

Task Composition

Includes Task.all, Task.any, and Task.some for combining multiple async operations, enabling flexible parallel execution strategies.

Cons

Verbose Setup

Configuring pause, resume, and cancel requires manual closure definitions, as shown in the basic example, adding boilerplate and complexity.

Outdated Documentation

Installation instructions point to a wiki page, and the project targets Swift 2.0, indicating potential maintenance issues and compatibility gaps with newer Swift versions.

Limited Community Support

Compared to mainstream libraries like PromiseKit, SwiftTask has fewer adopters, which may result in scarce resources and slower bug fixes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

PromiseKit

Promises for Swift & ObjC.

Stars14,238

Forks1,457

Last commit5 days ago

Bolts

Bolts is a collection of low-level libraries designed to make developing mobile apps easier.

Stars5,622

Forks576

Last commit4 years ago

promises

Promises is a modern framework that provides a synchronization construct for Swift and Objective-C.

Stars3,829

Forks310

Last commit1 year ago

Hydra

⚡️ Lightweight full-featured Promises, Async & Await Library in Swift

Stars1,991

Forks114