What are the differences between atomic operations and locks?

What are the differences between atomic operations and locks?

Atomic operations are low-level operations that complete in a single step, while locks are higher-level mechanisms for managing access to resources.

Can you give an example of when to use atomic operations?

Sure! Atomic operations are ideal for simple counters or flags where you need to ensure that updates are made without interruption.

What about locks? When should I use them?

Locks are useful when you need to manage access to complex data structures or when multiple threads need to perform a series of operations atomically.

Are there any downsides to using locks?

Yes, locks can lead to issues like deadlocks and increased contention, which can degrade performance in multi-threaded applications.

So, atomic operations are always better than locks?

Not necessarily. It depends on the use case. Atomic operations are faster but limited in functionality, while locks provide more control at the cost of performance.