What are locks and conditions in Java?

What are locks and conditions in Java?

Locks in Java are mechanisms that control access to shared resources by multiple threads. Conditions are used with locks to allow threads to wait for certain conditions to be met before proceeding.

How do I implement a lock in my Java program?

You can implement a lock using the ReentrantLock class from the java.util.concurrent.locks package. Here's a simple example:

ReentrantLock lock = new ReentrantLock();
lock.lock();
try {
    // critical section code
} finally {
    lock.unlock();
}

What is the difference between synchronized and locks?

The synchronized keyword is a simpler way to achieve mutual exclusion, but it doesn't provide as much flexibility as locks. Locks allow for more complex thread management, such as trying to acquire a lock without blocking.

Can you explain how conditions work with locks?

Certainly! Conditions allow threads to wait until a specific condition occurs. You can use lock.newCondition() to create a condition object, and then use await() to make a thread wait and signal() or signalAll() to wake it up when the condition is met.