What are the performance differences between stdatomic and mutex?

What are the performance differences between stdatomic and mutex?

The main difference lies in how they handle synchronization. stdatomic provides lock-free atomic operations, which can be faster in scenarios with high contention. In contrast, mutexes can introduce overhead due to locking and unlocking, especially if contention is high.

In what scenarios would stdatomic be preferred over mutex?

stdatomic is preferred in scenarios where low-latency and high-throughput are critical, such as in real-time systems or when implementing lock-free data structures.

Are there any downsides to using stdatomic?

Yes, while stdatomic can be faster, it can also lead to more complex code and potential issues with memory ordering if not used carefully.

Can you give an example of when to use mutex instead?

Mutexes are better suited for scenarios where you need to protect shared resources that require complex operations, ensuring data integrity without the risk of race conditions.