Berrevoets.MonitoredBackgroundService 1.1.1

Berrevoets.MonitoredBackgroundService

A library for creating monitored background services with health checks and task monitoring in .NET applications.

Overview

Berrevoets.MonitoredBackgroundService provides a base class and utilities to simplify the creation of background services that require health monitoring and task management. It allows you to:

• Create background services that run multiple tasks.
• Monitor the health of these tasks using customizable health checks.
• Configure task settings such as the number of tasks and maximum task duration.
• Receive detailed health statuses (Healthy, Degraded, Unhealthy) based on task performance.

Installation

Install the package via NuGet Package Manager:

dotnet add package Berrevoets.MonitoredBackgroundService

Or via the NuGet Package Manager Console in Visual Studio:

Install-Package Berrevoets.MonitoredBackgroundService

Usage

1. Setting Up Configuration

First, define your appsettings.json to include the WorkerOptions settings:

{
  "Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Information",
      "Microsoft.Hosting.Lifetime": "Information"
    }
  },
  "WorkerOptions": {
    "NumberOfTasks": 5,
    "MaxTaskDuration": "00:02:00" // Format: HH:mm:ss
  }
}

• NumberOfTasks: The number of concurrent tasks the worker should run.
• MaxTaskDuration: The maximum duration a task is allowed to run before being considered unhealthy.

2. Creating a Custom Worker

Inherit from MonitorableBackgroundService to create your custom worker:

using Berrevoets;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Options;

namespace YourNamespace;

public class MyWorker : MonitorableBackgroundService
{
    public MyWorker(ILogger<MyWorker> logger, IOptions<WorkerOptions> options)
        : base(logger, options)
    {
    }

    protected override async Task DoWork(int taskId)
    {
        while (!_stoppingToken.IsCancellationRequested)
        {
            LogTaskInformation(taskId);
            UpdateTaskExecutionTime(taskId);

            // Your custom task logic here
            await Task.Delay(1000, _stoppingToken);
        }
    }
}

• DoWork: Override this method to implement the task's logic.
• taskId: Unique identifier for each task.
• Use LogTaskInformation(taskId) and UpdateTaskExecutionTime(taskId) to log and update the task's execution time.

3. Implementing a Health Monitor Worker

Create a worker to monitor the health of your tasks:

using Berrevoets.Interfaces;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting;

namespace YourNamespace;

public class HealthMonitorWorker : BackgroundService
{
    private readonly ILogger<HealthMonitorWorker> _logger;
    private readonly IEnumerable<IHealthMonitorable> _healthMonitorables;

    public HealthMonitorWorker(
        ILogger<HealthMonitorWorker> logger,
        IEnumerable<IHealthMonitorable> healthMonitorables)
    {
        _logger = logger;
        _healthMonitorables = healthMonitorables;
    }

    protected override async Task ExecuteAsync(CancellationToken stoppingToken)
    {
        while (!stoppingToken.IsCancellationRequested)
        {
            foreach (var monitorable in _healthMonitorables)
            {
                var healthStatus = monitorable.MonitorHealth();
                switch (healthStatus)
                {
                    case HealthStatus.Healthy:
                        _logger.LogInformation("All systems are healthy.");
                        break;
                    case HealthStatus.Degraded:
                        _logger.LogWarning("Some tasks are taking longer than expected.");
                        break;
                    case HealthStatus.Unhealthy:
                        _logger.LogError("Some tasks are unhealthy.");
                        break;
                }
            }

            await Task.Delay(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(60), stoppingToken);
        }
    }
}

• IHealthMonitorable: Interface that provides the MonitorHealth() method.
• The monitor checks the health status and logs messages accordingly.

4. Configuring Dependency Injection

In your Program.cs, configure the services and workers:

using Berrevoets;
using Berrevoets.Extensions;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting;

var builder = Host.CreateDefaultBuilder(args)
    .ConfigureAppConfiguration((hostingContext, config) =>
    {
        config.AddJsonFile("appsettings.json", optional: true, reloadOnChange: true);
    })
    .ConfigureServices((context, services) =>
    {
        // Configure WorkerOptions from appsettings.json
        services.Configure<WorkerOptions>(context.Configuration.GetSection("WorkerOptions"));

        // Add your custom worker using the extension method
        services.AddMonitoredWorker<MyWorker>(context.Configuration);

        // Add the health monitor worker
        services.AddHostedService<HealthMonitorWorker>();
    });

await builder.RunConsoleAsync();

• AddMonitoredWorker<TWorker>: Extension method to register your worker with health monitoring.

  • Can accept configuration from appsettings.json or inline options.

  • Example with inline options:

    services.AddMonitoredWorker<MyWorker>(options =>
    {
        options.NumberOfTasks = 2;
        options.MaxTaskDuration = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(2);
    });
    

5. Running the Application

Run your application, and you should see logs indicating the status of your tasks and any health issues detected by the monitor.

Features

• Task Management: Easily manage multiple background tasks within a worker.
• Health Monitoring: Monitor tasks for health status, including Healthy, Degraded, and Unhealthy.
• Configuration: Customize the number of tasks and maximum task duration via configuration files or code.
• Extensibility: Create custom workers by inheriting from MonitorableBackgroundService and implementing your task logic.

API Reference

MonitorableBackgroundService

An abstract class that provides the infrastructure for monitored background services.

Methods to Override

• Task DoWork(int taskId): Implement your task logic here.

Protected Methods

• void UpdateTaskExecutionTime(int taskId): Updates the last execution time for a task.
• void LogTaskInformation(int taskId): Logs information about the task.

WorkerOptions

Configuration options for your worker.

• int NumberOfTasks: Number of concurrent tasks to run.
• TimeSpan MaxTaskDuration: Maximum allowed duration for a task before it's considered unhealthy.

HealthStatus Enum

Represents the health status of the worker tasks.

• Healthy: All tasks are running within expected parameters.
• Degraded: Tasks are taking longer than expected (exceeding half of MaxTaskDuration).
• Unhealthy: Tasks have faulted, canceled, or exceeded MaxTaskDuration.

IHealthMonitorable Interface

An interface that provides a method to monitor health.

• HealthStatus MonitorHealth(): Returns the current health status.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please submit a pull request or open an issue to discuss improvements or report bugs.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Inspired by the need for robust background task management and health monitoring in .NET applications.

Contact

For questions or support, please contact Bert Berrevoets.

Happy coding!