What is the difference between locks and CAS?

Can you explain the difference between locks and CAS?

Sure! Locks are synchronization mechanisms that prevent multiple threads from accessing a resource simultaneously, while CAS (Compare-And-Swap) is an atomic operation used to achieve synchronization without traditional locking.

When would I use CAS instead of locks?

You might use CAS when you want to avoid the overhead of locking and prefer a non-blocking approach, especially in high-performance scenarios.

Are there any downsides to using CAS?

Yes, CAS can lead to issues like livelock if multiple threads keep failing to update the value, and it may require more complex logic to handle retries.

Can you give an example of how CAS works?

Certainly! In CAS, you check a value, and if it matches an expected value, you update it to a new value. If it doesn't match, the operation fails, and you can retry.