What are the common issues with lock-free queues?

What are the common issues with lock-free queues?

Lock-free queues can face several issues, such as memory management problems, contention, and complexity in implementation.

Can you explain what memory management problems might occur?

Sure! Memory management issues in lock-free queues often arise from the need to allocate and deallocate memory without locks, which can lead to memory leaks or dangling pointers.

What about contention? How does it affect performance?

Contention occurs when multiple threads try to access the queue simultaneously, which can lead to performance degradation due to increased overhead in managing concurrent access.

Are there any strategies to mitigate these issues?

Yes, strategies include using hazard pointers, epoch-based reclamation, and designing queues with better contention management.