Threads, ThreadPool, and background work

In .NET, threads are used to run code in the background so your application stays responsive (especially important for UI apps like WPF).

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What is a thread?

A thread is a single path of execution.

• The UI runs on the UI thread
• Long or blocking work should run on a background thread

❗ Never block the UI thread — your app will freeze.

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Starting a thread manually

using System.Threading;

Thread thread = new Thread(() =>
{
    // background work here
    DoWork();
});

thread.Start();

Thread Pool

using System.Threading;

ThreadPool.QueueUserWorkItem(_ =>
{
    DoWork();
});