Thread Safety: Collections vs Locks

What are the differences between using collections and locks for thread safety?

Collections designed for thread safety, like ConcurrentHashMap, handle synchronization internally, while locks require manual management.

When should I use locks instead of thread-safe collections?

Use locks when you need fine-grained control over synchronization or when working with non-collection data structures.

Can you give an example of a situation where locks are necessary?

Sure! If you need to update multiple related variables atomically, using locks ensures that no other thread can access them during the update.

Are there performance implications when choosing between these two?

Yes, thread-safe collections can be more efficient for simple operations, while locks may introduce overhead due to context switching.