When should I use locks in multithreading?

When should I use locks in multithreading?

You should use locks in multithreading when you need to protect shared resources from concurrent access, which can lead to data corruption.

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

Sure! If two threads are trying to update the same variable at the same time, using a lock ensures that only one thread can modify it at a time.

What are the downsides of using locks?

The main downsides include potential deadlocks, reduced performance due to contention, and increased complexity in your code.

Are there alternatives to using locks?

Yes, alternatives include using atomic operations, lock-free data structures, or higher-level abstractions like concurrent collections.