What are the different types of locks and synchronization in programming?

What are the different types of locks used in programming?

In programming, common types of locks include mutexes, spinlocks, read-write locks, and semaphore locks.

Can you explain what a mutex is?

A mutex, or mutual exclusion lock, is used to prevent multiple threads from accessing a shared resource simultaneously.

What is the difference between a mutex and a semaphore?

A mutex allows only one thread to access a resource at a time, while a semaphore can allow multiple threads based on its count.

When should I use a read-write lock?

Use a read-write lock when you have multiple threads that need to read data but only one that needs to write, improving efficiency.