How do I use Mutex in Go?

How do I use Mutex in Go?

In Go, a Mutex is used to provide mutual exclusion, allowing only one goroutine to access a resource at a time. You can use the sync.Mutex type from the sync package.

Can you show me a simple example?

Sure! Here's a basic example:

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "sync"
)

var (
    mu sync.Mutex
    counter int
)

func increment() {
    mu.Lock() // Lock the mutex
    counter++
    mu.Unlock() // Unlock the mutex
}

func main() {
    var wg sync.WaitGroup
    for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
        wg.Add(1)
        go func() {
            defer wg.Done()
            increment()
        }()
    }
    wg.Wait()
    fmt.Println("Counter:", counter)
}

What happens if I forget to unlock the mutex?

If you forget to unlock the mutex, it can lead to a deadlock, where other goroutines are unable to acquire the lock and will be stuck waiting indefinitely.

Are there any alternatives to Mutex?

Yes, you can use channels for synchronization or sync.RWMutex if you need to allow multiple readers but only one writer.