# Akka Net Best Practices

Critical Akka.NET best practices including EventStream vs DistributedPubSub...

- Repository: https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills (1244 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-10-28
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

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## Description

Critical Akka.NET best practices including EventStream vs DistributedPubSub, supervision strategies, error handling, Props vs DependencyResolver, work distribution patterns, and cluster/local mode abstractions for testability.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Akka.NET Best Practices

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:
- Designing actor communication patterns
- Deciding between EventStream and DistributedPubSub
- Implementing error handling in actors
- Understanding supervision strategies
- Choosing between Props patterns and DependencyResolver
- Designing work distribution across nodes
- Creating testable actor systems that can run with or without cluster infrastructure
- Abstracting over Cluster Sharding for local testing scenarios

## Reference Files

- [work-distribution-patterns.md](work-distribution-patterns.md): Database queues, Akka.Streams throttling, outbox pattern
- [cluster-local-abstractions.md](cluster-local-abstractions.md): GenericChildPerEntityParent, IPubSubMediator, execution mode wiring
- [async-cancellation-patterns.md](async-cancellation-patterns.md): Actor-scoped CancellationToken, linked CTS, timeout handling

---

## 1. EventStream vs DistributedPubSub

### Critical: EventStream is LOCAL ONLY

`Context.System.EventStream` is **local to a single ActorSystem process**. It does NOT work across cluster nodes.

```csharp
// BAD: This only works on a single server
// When you add a second server, subscribers on server 2 won't receive events from server 1
Context.System.EventStream.Subscribe(Self, typeof(PostCreated));
Context.System.EventStream.Publish(new PostCreated(postId, authorId));
```

**When EventStream is appropriate:**
- Logging and diagnostics within a single process
- Local event bus for truly single-process applications
- Development/testing scenarios

### Use DistributedPubSub for Multi-Node

For events that must reach actors across multiple cluster nodes, use `Akka.Cluster.Tools.PublishSubscribe`:

```csharp
using Akka.Cluster.Tools.PublishSubscribe;

public class TimelineUpdatePublisher : ReceiveActor
{
    private readonly IActorRef _mediator;

The rest: https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills/blob/HEAD/skills/akka-best-practices/SKILL.md