What are the differences between thread-safe and non-thread-safe collections?

What are the differences between thread-safe and non-thread-safe collections?

Thread-safe collections are designed to handle concurrent access by multiple threads without causing data corruption, while non-thread-safe collections can lead to issues like race conditions when accessed by multiple threads simultaneously.

Can you give me examples of each type?

Sure! An example of a thread-safe collection is ConcurrentHashMap in Java, while an example of a non-thread-safe collection is ArrayList.

When should I use thread-safe collections?

You should use thread-safe collections when your application involves multiple threads that need to read from and write to the same collection to avoid data inconsistency.

Are there performance trade-offs with thread-safe collections?

Yes, thread-safe collections often have overhead due to synchronization mechanisms, which can lead to reduced performance compared to non-thread-safe collections in single-threaded scenarios.