What are the differences between atomic and lock-free programming?

What are the differences between atomic and lock-free programming?

Atomic programming involves operations that are indivisible, meaning they complete without interruption. Lock-free programming, on the other hand, allows multiple threads to operate without locking resources, ensuring that at least one thread can make progress.

Can you give me an example of each?

Sure! An example of atomic programming is using atomic variables in C++ with std::atomic. For lock-free programming, a common example is using compare-and-swap (CAS) operations to update shared data without locks.

What are the advantages of using lock-free programming?

Lock-free programming can reduce contention and improve performance in multi-threaded applications, as it avoids the overhead of locking mechanisms.

Are there any downsides to lock-free programming?

Yes, lock-free programming can be more complex to implement and may lead to subtle bugs if not handled carefully, such as livelock or starvation.