What is thread safety and how does mutex help?

What is thread safety and how does mutex help?

Thread safety ensures that shared data is accessed by only one thread at a time. A mutex (mutual exclusion) is a synchronization primitive that helps achieve this by locking the data during access.

Can you explain how a mutex works in practice?

Sure! When a thread wants to access shared data, it first locks the mutex. If another thread tries to lock the same mutex, it will be blocked until the first thread unlocks it after finishing its operation.

What are some common pitfalls when using mutexes?

Common pitfalls include deadlocks, where two threads wait indefinitely for each other to release a mutex, and priority inversion, where a lower-priority thread holds a mutex needed by a higher-priority thread.

Are there alternatives to using mutexes for thread safety?

Yes, alternatives include using read-write locks, atomic operations, or lock-free data structures, which can reduce contention and improve performance.