What are read-write locks and how do they work?

What are read-write locks and how do they work?

Read-write locks are synchronization mechanisms that allow concurrent access to a resource. They differentiate between read and write operations.

How do they improve performance compared to regular locks?

They allow multiple readers to access the resource simultaneously, improving performance when reads are more frequent than writes.

Can you give me an example of when to use a read-write lock?

Sure! Use a read-write lock in a scenario where many threads need to read data, but only a few need to write, like in a caching system.

What are the potential downsides of using read-write locks?

The main downsides include increased complexity and the potential for writer starvation if there are many readers.