What are concurrency primitives in programming?

What are concurrency primitives in programming?

Concurrency primitives are low-level constructs that help manage concurrent execution in programming, like threads and locks.

Can you give me an example of how to use a mutex?

Sure! A mutex (mutual exclusion) can be used to protect shared resources. Here's a simple example in Python:

import threading

# Shared resource
counter = 0

# Create a mutex
mutex = threading.Lock()

def increment():
    global counter
    for _ in range(100000):
        mutex.acquire()  # Lock the mutex
        counter += 1
        mutex.release()  # Unlock the mutex

# Create threads
thread1 = threading.Thread(target=increment)
thread2 = threading.Thread(target=increment)

# Start threads
thread1.start()
thread2.start()

# Wait for threads to finish
thread1.join()
thread2.join()

print(counter)  # Should print 200000

What are the differences between mutexes and semaphores?

Mutexes allow only one thread to access a resource at a time, while semaphores can allow multiple threads, up to a defined limit.

Are there any other concurrency primitives I should know about?

Yes, other important concurrency primitives include condition variables, barriers, and read-write locks, each serving different purposes.