What is thread safety in C and why is it important?

What is thread safety in C and why is it important?

Thread safety in C refers to the property of a program or code segment to function correctly during simultaneous execution by multiple threads. It's important because it prevents data corruption and ensures that shared resources are accessed safely.

Can you give me an example of a thread-safe function?

Sure! A common example is using mutexes to protect shared data. For instance, if multiple threads need to update a global variable, wrapping the update in a mutex lock ensures that only one thread can modify it at a time.

What are some common pitfalls when dealing with thread safety?

Common pitfalls include race conditions, deadlocks, and improper use of synchronization mechanisms. It's crucial to carefully design your code to avoid these issues.

How can I test if my code is thread-safe?

You can use tools like ThreadSanitizer or run stress tests with multiple threads to check for race conditions and other thread safety issues.