How can I make a function thread-safe?

What does it mean for a function to be thread-safe?

A thread-safe function can be safely called from multiple threads simultaneously without causing data corruption or unexpected behavior.

How can I ensure my function is thread-safe?

You can use techniques like locks, mutexes, or atomic operations to manage access to shared resources.

Can you give me an example of using a lock in a thread-safe function?

Sure! Here's a simple example in Python using a threading lock:

import threading

lock = threading.Lock()

def thread_safe_function():
    with lock:
        # critical section of code
        pass

What are the downsides of making a function thread-safe?

The main downsides include potential performance overhead due to locking and the complexity it adds to your code.