How do I implement a thread-safe counter in my application?

How do I implement a thread-safe counter in my application?

To implement a thread-safe counter, you can use synchronization mechanisms like mutexes or atomic variables.

Can you show me an example using Python?

Sure! You can use the threading module with a Lock to ensure thread safety. Here's a simple example:

import threading

class ThreadSafeCounter:
    def __init__(self):
        self.lock = threading.Lock()
        self.count = 0

    def increment(self):
        with self.lock:
            self.count += 1

    def get_count(self):
        with self.lock:
            return self.count

What if I want to use it in a multi-threaded environment?

The example I provided is already suitable for a multi-threaded environment. Each thread will safely increment the counter without race conditions.

Are there any performance considerations I should be aware of?

Yes, using locks can introduce overhead. If performance is critical, consider using atomic operations or lock-free data structures.