What are the differences between threading and asynchronous programming in C++?

What are the differences between threading and asynchronous programming in C++?

Threading involves creating multiple threads of execution, allowing concurrent operations. Asynchronous programming, on the other hand, uses callbacks or futures to handle tasks without blocking the main thread.

Can you give me an example of threading in C++?

Sure! Here's a simple example using the C++11 thread library:

#include <iostream>
#include <thread>

void printHello() {
    std::cout << "Hello from thread!" << std::endl;
}

int main() {
    std::thread t(printHello);
    t.join(); // Wait for the thread to finish
    return 0;
}

This code creates a new thread that runs the printHello function.

What about an example of asynchronous programming?

Here's a basic example using std::async:

#include <iostream>
#include <future>

int compute() {
    return 42;
}

int main() {
    std::future<int> result = std::async(std::launch::async, compute);
    std::cout << "Result: " << result.get() << std::endl;
    return 0;
}

This code runs the compute function asynchronously and retrieves the result.