Delivering high-performance ASP.NET applications is the key to providing optimal user experiences. To achieve this, developers need to understand how their code performs in real-world scenarios and identify areas for improvement. This is where ASP.NET Prefix comes in. With its powerful performance profiling capabilities, Prefix equips developers with the tools they need to unlock their application's performance potential. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the world of ASP.NET performance profiling with Prefix, exploring its features and best practices for achieving blazing-fast applications.
What is ASP.NET Prefix- Profiling Tool?
Prefix is a free profiling tool specifically designed for ASP.NET applications. It serves as a valuable resource for developers as it provides insights into what's happening within their code during the development process. By using Prefix, developers can gain access to crucial information such as HTTP requests, SQL queries, exceptions, timings, and more.
You can download the prefix from here-
There are several reasons why Prefix is useful for ASP.NET developers:
Performance issue identification: Prefix enables developers to detect and address performance issues in their code before the application is deployed to production. Monitoring the code's execution helps identify bottlenecks and areas that require optimization.
Bug detection: Prefix aids in the identification of bugs and errors within the code. It provides valuable information about exceptions and their impact on performance. This allows developers to resolve issues promptly during the development phase.
SQL query optimization: Developers can utilize Prefix to optimize their SQL queries. It offers insights into the generated SQL from Entity Framework and allows for efficient query analysis. This helps enhance the overall performance of database interactions.
Easy installation and usage: Prefix is designed to be user-friendly, making it easy for developers to install and utilize. Its intuitive interface and straightforward setup process ensure a seamless experience.
Compatibility with various frameworks and languages: Prefix works with different ASP.NET frameworks and languages, providing flexibility to developers. It can be employed across a range of projects, regardless of the specific tools or technologies used.
Integration with Serilog for logging: Prefix seamlessly integrates with Serilog, a popular logging framework. This integration enhances the logging capabilities of Prefix and enables developers to effectively manage and analyze logs generated by their ASP.NET applications.
How to Use Prefix for ASP.NET Performance Profiling
Prefix helps ASP.NET developers monitor the performance of their applications during development. It can show detailed information about web requests, SQL queries, application dependencies, metrics, logs, and traces in real-time. The prefix can also help developers identify slow requests, errors, bottlenecks, and bugs in their code. In this essay, we will demonstrate how to use Prefix to profile an ASP.NET application with screenshots and examples.
To use Prefix, we need to download and install it from the official website: https://stackify.com/prefix/. Prefix supports Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems, and various ASP.NET frameworks and languages, such as MVC, Web Forms, Web Pages, Core, .NET, Java, Python, Node.js, Ruby, and PHP. Prefix works with IIS or IIS Express by default, but it can also be configured to work with other web servers or self-hosted applications.
After installing Prefix, we can launch it from the system tray icon or the start menu. Prefix will open a browser window that shows the dashboard where we can see the list of web requests that are being profiled by Prefix. Each request shows the total time it took to execute, the response status code, the number of database calls, and the number of uncaught exceptions (if any). We can also filter the requests by status code, URL, or application name.
To view more details about a specific request, we can click on it and see the right panel that shows the breakdown of the request execution. We can see the raw HTTP request information, such as headers, cookies, and parameters. We can also see the timings for each stage of execution, such as compilation time, modules and handlers time, action time, and view time.
We can also see the SQL queries that were executed by the request, along with their command text, parameters, and execution time. We can also see the application dependencies that were called by the request, such as web services, Redis cache, or MongoDB. We can also see the metrics that were collected by Prefix, such as CPU usage, memory usage, and garbage collection. We can also see the logs and traces that were generated by the request, such as Serilog logs or OpenTelemetry traces. The prefix can help us identify slow requests by highlighting them with a yellow or red background color. We can also sort the requests by execution time to find the slowest ones.
The prefix can also help us identify errors by highlighting them with a red background color and showing the exception details and stack trace. We can also filter the requests by status code to find the ones that returned an error code. It can also help us identify bottlenecks and bugs in our code by showing us where most of the time is spent during the request execution. We can go into each stage of execution and see which methods or queries are taking longer than expected. We can also see if there are any unnecessary or redundant calls that could be optimized or eliminated. We can also see if there are any hidden exceptions that are being caught but not handled properly.
Prefix helps ASP.NET developers monitor the performance of their applications during development. It can show detailed information about web requests, SQL queries, application dependencies, metrics, logs, and traces in real-time. It can also help developers identify slow requests, errors, bottlenecks, and bugs in their code. Prefix is easy to install and use, and it works with various ASP.NET frameworks and languages. Prefix is a free tool that every ASP.NET developer should try.
Tips and best practices on how to optimize ASP.NET performance with Prefix
Optimizing the performance of ASP.NET applications is important to ensure their responsiveness, scalability, and efficient resource utilization. Prefix, a powerful profiling tool, can significantly aid in identifying performance bottlenecks and improving the overall performance of ASP.NET applications. Below we will explore some useful tips and best practices for optimizing ASP.NET performance with Prefix.
Best Practice 1: Using Prefix Dashboard
The Prefix dashboard shows you a list of web requests that your application has processed. You can see various information about each request such as:
The total time it took to serve the request
The number of database requests
The number of caught or uncaught exceptions
The status code returned
The satisfaction score (apdex) based on the response time
You can also filter the requests by various criteria such as URL, status code, exception type, etc. You can also search for specific requests by keywords.
To view more details about a request, you can click on it and drill down into its performance profile. You can see information such as:
The raw HTTP request and response headers and body
The actual SQL queries that were executed and their timings
The application dependencies that were called and their timings
The metrics that were collected and their values
The logs that were generated and their messages
The traces that were captured and their spans
You can also see a timeline view of the request that shows how each stage of execution contributed to the total response time. You can also see smart suggestions from Prefix that highlight any potential performance issues or bugs in your code.
Best Practice 2: Optimizing SQL Queries with Prefix
One of the most useful features of Prefix is that it shows you the actual SQL queries that your application executes and their timings. This helps you to identify any underperforming SQL queries or ORM generated queries that may cause performance bottlenecks.
To view the SQL queries for a request, you can click on the database icon on the request list or drill down into the request details and click on the SQL tab. You can see information such as:
The SQL query text
The number of rows returned
The execution time
The connection string
The database provider
You can also see if any parameters were used in the query and their values. You can also copy or export the query text for further analysis.
Prefix also shows you if any SQL queries caused errors or exceptions in your code. You can see information such as:
The error message
The stack trace
The performance impact of the error
Prefix also provides smart suggestions on how to optimize your SQL queries or ORM generated queries. For example:
Use parameterized queries instead of string concatenation
Use indexes on columns used in WHERE clauses
Avoid SELECT * queries
Avoid N+1 queries
Use caching to reduce database calls
Best Practice 3: Viewing the Performance Impact of Exceptions with Prefix
Another useful feature of Prefix is that it shows you the performance impact of any caught or uncaught exceptions in your code. Exceptions can cause performance degradation or unexpected behavior in your application, so it is important to monitor and fix them.
To view the exceptions for a request, you can click on the exception icon on the request list or drill down into the request details and click on the Exceptions tab. You can see information such as:
The exception type
The exception message
The stack trace
The performance impact of the exception
You can also see if the exception was caught or uncaught and where it was handled in your code. You can also copy or export the exception details for further analysis.
Prefix also provides smart suggestions on how to fix or prevent exceptions in your code. For example:
Use try-catch blocks to handle exceptions gracefully
Use validation to avoid invalid input or output
Use logging to capture more information about exceptions
Use unit tests to catch exceptions early
Best Practice 4: Integrating Prefix with Serilog or Other Logging Frameworks
Prefix can also integrate with Serilog or other logging frameworks to provide more insights into your application behavior. Logging can help you to debug, troubleshoot, audit or monitor your application.
To integrate Prefix with Serilog, you need to install the StackifyLib.Serilog NuGet package and configure it in your application. You can find more details on how to do that here.
To integrate Prefix with other logging frameworks, you need to install the StackifyLib NuGet package and configure it in your application. You can find more details on how to do that here.
After integrating Prefix with your logging framework, you can view the logs for a request by clicking on the log icon on the request list or drilling down into the request details and clicking on the Logs tab. You can see information such as:
The log level
The log message
The log timestamp
The log source
You can also filter the logs by level, source, message, etc. You can also search for specific logs by keywords.
Prefix also shows you if any logs are related to any SQL queries, application dependencies, metrics, exceptions or traces. You can see information such as:
The SQL query text and timing
The application dependency name and timing
The metric name and value
The exception type and message
The trace span name and timing
You can also jump from logs to traces (and back) by clicking on the trace icon on the log list or drilling down into the log details and clicking on the Trace tab.
Best Practice 5: Using Prefix with Distributed Tracing for Cloud-Native Applications
Prefix can also use distributed tracing to extend observability across cloud-native applications with multiple containers and microservices. Distributed tracing helps you to track the performance of each transaction across different services and hosts.
To use Prefix with distributed tracing, you need to enable OpenTelemetry ingestion in Prefix settings and configure your application to use OpenTelemetry protocol. You can find more details on how to do that here.
After using Prefix with distributed tracing, you can view the traces for a request by clicking on the trace icon on the request list or drilling down into the request details and clicking on the Traces tab. You can see information such as:
The trace ID
The span name
The span duration
The span status
The span attributes
You can also see a timeline view of the trace that shows how each span contributed to the total transaction time. You can also see if any spans are related to any SQL queries, application dependencies, metrics, logs or exceptions.
Prefix also provides smart suggestions on how to optimize your distributed tracing performance. For example:
Use consistent naming conventions for spans and attributes
Use sampling strategies to reduce tracing overhead
Use correlation context to propagate metadata across spans
Use baggage items to propagate user-defined data across spans
Conclusion
The ASP.NET Prefix profiling tool is a valuable asset for developers seeking to optimize the performance of their ASP.NET applications. By utilizing Prefix, developers gain insights into the inner workings of their code, enabling them to identify and address performance bottlenecks, slow requests, and inefficiencies.
Prefix's real-time profiling capabilities, coupled with its ability to monitor web requests, SQL queries, application dependencies, metrics, logs, and traces, provide developers with a comprehensive view of their application's performance. This knowledge empowers developers to make informed decisions and implement targeted optimizations.