What is a mutex in programming?

What is a mutex in programming?

A mutex, or mutual exclusion, is a synchronization primitive used to manage access to shared resources in concurrent programming.

Why do we need mutexes?

Mutexes prevent race conditions by ensuring that only one thread can access a resource at a time, maintaining data integrity.

Can you give an example of how to use a mutex?

Sure! In C++, you can use std::mutex to lock a section of code, ensuring that only one thread executes it at a time.

What happens if a mutex is not used?

Without a mutex, multiple threads may modify shared data simultaneously, leading to unpredictable behavior and data corruption.