What are the differences between atomic operations and mutexes?

What are the differences between atomic operations and mutexes?

Atomic operations are low-level operations that complete in a single step, ensuring data integrity without locks. Mutexes, on the other hand, are synchronization primitives that allow multiple threads to access shared resources safely by locking them.

When should I use atomic operations instead of mutexes?

Use atomic operations when you need high performance for simple data manipulations and can ensure that operations are thread-safe. Mutexes are better for complex operations that require multiple steps or when you need to protect larger sections of code.

Are there any downsides to using atomic operations?

Yes, atomic operations can lead to issues like busy-waiting and can be harder to debug. They also may not be suitable for complex data structures.

Can you give an example of an atomic operation?

Sure! An example of an atomic operation is the increment operation on a shared integer, which can be done using atomic functions like atomic_fetch_add in C++.