What is swift-async-algorithms?

apple/swift-async-algorithms — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

★ 3,652SwiftAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5Setup · easy

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Async Algorithms))
    What it does
      Combines async streams
      Handles timing
      Removes duplicates
      Groups values
    Tech stack
      Swift
      Swift Package Manager
      async await
    Use cases
      Merge data streams
      Debounce user input
      Throttle events
      Process live data
    Audience
      iOS developers
      macOS developers
      Swift engineers

mindmap root((Async Algorithms)) What it does Combines async streams Handles timing Removes duplicates Groups values Tech stack Swift Swift Package Manager async await Use cases Merge data streams Debounce user input Throttle events Process live data Audience iOS developers macOS developers Swift engineers

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Combine several live data streams into one using merge, zip, or combineLatest.

USE CASE 2

Debounce or throttle fast-arriving events like user keystrokes or sensor readings.

USE CASE 3

Remove duplicate or null values from a stream of incoming data.

USE CASE 4

Emit values on a repeating timer using AsyncTimerSequence.

What is it built with?

SwiftSwift Package Manager

How does it compare?

	apple/swift-async-algorithms	ra1028/differencekit	swiftlang/swift-syntax
Stars	3,652	3,659	3,644
Language	Swift	Swift	Swift
Setup difficulty	easy	easy	moderate
Complexity	3/5	3/5	3/5
Audience	developer	developer	developer

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires Swift Package Manager, add the package URL as a dependency.

Not stated in the provided README excerpt.

So what is it?

Swift Async Algorithms is an open-source library from Apple that provides ready-made tools for working with streams of data that arrive over time in Swift apps. Swift is Apple's programming language for building iOS, macOS, and other Apple platform apps. The library sits on top of Swift's built-in async/await system, which is the modern way Swift apps handle tasks that take time to complete (like network requests or reading files) without freezing the app. The core idea is that many real-world data problems involve values that keep arriving in a sequence, not all at once. Things like sensor readings, user keystrokes, live search results, or incoming messages are all examples. This library gives developers pre-built, well-tested operations for working with those streams, similar to how standard programming languages provide tools for working with plain lists of items. The toolkit covers several categories. For combining multiple streams, there are tools like merge (interleave items from two streams into one), zip (pair up items from two streams), and combineLatest (react whenever any of several streams produces a new value). For timing, there are debounce (wait until a stream has been quiet for a moment before acting) and throttle (ensure you don't react more often than a minimum interval). There are also utilities for grouping items into chunks, removing duplicates, filtering out null values, and emitting timer ticks at regular intervals. The library is cross-platform, meaning it works on Apple devices and also on Linux where Swift is supported. It is distributed as a Swift package, so adding it to a project is a matter of referencing it in the project's dependency file. The project is developed in the open on GitHub with community discussion happening on the Swift Forums.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

Show me how to add swift-async-algorithms as a dependency in my Package.swift file.

Prompt 2

Help me debounce a search field's text input using this library's debounce function.

Prompt 3

Explain the difference between merge and combineLatest in swift-async-algorithms.

Prompt 4

Write an example that zips two async sequences together and prints the pairs.

Frequently asked questions