What is the difference between stdatomic and volatile in C++?

What is the difference between stdatomic and volatile in C++?

The stdatomic library provides a way to perform atomic operations, ensuring thread safety, while volatile is a keyword that tells the compiler not to optimize access to a variable, as it may change unexpectedly.

Can you give an example of when to use stdatomic?

Sure! Use stdatomic when you need to safely share data between threads, like incrementing a counter without race conditions.

And what about volatile? When should I use it?

Use volatile for variables that can be changed by external factors, like hardware or signal handlers, to prevent the compiler from optimizing them away.

Are there any performance implications of using stdatomic?

Yes, stdatomic can introduce some overhead due to memory barriers, but it ensures data integrity in multi-threaded environments.

So, should I always prefer stdatomic over volatile?

Not necessarily. Use stdatomic for thread safety and synchronization, while volatile is for specific cases where variables can change unexpectedly.