What are semaphores and why are they important in concurrency?

What are semaphores and why are they important in concurrency?

Semaphores are synchronization tools used to control access to shared resources in concurrent programming. They help prevent race conditions.

Can you explain how semaphores work in a multi-threaded environment?

Sure! Semaphores maintain a count that represents the number of available resources. Threads can acquire or release the semaphore, ensuring safe access.

What are the different types of semaphores?

There are two main types: binary semaphores, which can be 0 or 1, and counting semaphores, which can take any non-negative integer value.

How do semaphores differ from mutexes?

While both are used for synchronization, mutexes are designed for mutual exclusion, allowing only one thread to access a resource at a time, whereas semaphores can allow multiple threads.

Can you give an example of semaphore usage in programming?

Certainly! In a producer-consumer scenario, a counting semaphore can be used to track the number of items in a buffer, allowing producers to add and consumers to remove items safely.