What are atomic operations in C programming?

What are atomic operations in C programming?

Atomic operations are low-level operations that complete in a single step relative to other threads. They are crucial for ensuring data integrity in concurrent programming.

Can you give me an example of an atomic operation in C?

Sure! An example is using the __atomic built-in functions, like __atomic_fetch_add, which atomically adds a value to a variable.

Why are atomic operations important in multithreading?

They prevent race conditions by ensuring that a variable is updated by only one thread at a time, maintaining data consistency.

Are there any libraries in C that support atomic operations?

Yes, the C11 standard introduced the <stdatomic.h> library, which provides a set of atomic types and operations.

How do atomic operations differ from mutexes?

Atomic operations are generally faster and simpler than mutexes, as they do not require locking mechanisms, but they are limited to simple operations.