What is memory order in stdatomic?

Can you explain what memory order means in stdatomic?

Memory order in stdatomic refers to the rules that determine how operations on atomic variables are seen by different threads. It defines the visibility and ordering of operations.

What are the different memory order options available?

The main memory order options in stdatomic are: relaxed, acquire, release, acquire-release, and sequentially consistent.

How do these memory orders affect performance?

Different memory orders can significantly impact performance. For example, 'relaxed' allows for more optimization but may lead to less predictable behavior, while 'sequentially consistent' ensures a strict order but can be slower.

Can you give an example of when to use each memory order?

Sure! Use 'relaxed' for performance-critical sections where ordering isn't important, 'acquire' for reading shared data, 'release' for writing, and 'acquire-release' for operations that need both. 'Sequentially consistent' is best for scenarios requiring strict ordering.