What are the best practices for thread safety in Python?

What are the best practices for thread safety in Python?

Thread safety in Python involves ensuring that shared data is accessed by only one thread at a time. Some best practices include using locks, avoiding global variables, and utilizing thread-safe data structures.

Can you explain how to use locks in Python?

Certainly! In Python, you can use the threading.Lock class to create a lock. You acquire the lock before accessing shared resources and release it afterward. This prevents other threads from accessing the resource until the lock is released.

What are some common pitfalls to avoid?

Common pitfalls include deadlocks, where two threads wait on each other to release locks, and race conditions, where the outcome depends on the timing of thread execution. Always ensure proper lock management to avoid these issues.

Are there any libraries that help with thread safety?

Yes, libraries like concurrent.futures and queue provide higher-level abstractions for managing threads and ensuring thread safety in Python applications.