Synchronization is a mechanism in programming that ensures that multiple threads or processes access and modify shared resources in a controlled manner, preventing data corruption and race conditions.
Here's a breakdown:
* Threads: Threads are lightweight processes that share the same memory space.
* Processes: Processes are heavier-weight entities that have their own separate memory space.
* Shared resources: These can be variables, files, databases, or other resources accessed by multiple threads or processes.
* Data corruption: Occurs when multiple threads or processes modify shared resources concurrently, resulting in inconsistent or incorrect data.
* Race conditions: A situation where the outcome of a program depends on the unpredictable timing of multiple threads or processes accessing shared resources.
Synchronization mechanisms are used to prevent data corruption and race conditions. Some common techniques include:
* Locks: A lock allows only one thread to access a shared resource at a time. Examples: mutexes, semaphores.
* Condition variables: Allow threads to wait for specific conditions to be met before proceeding.
* Atomic operations: Ensure that operations on shared resources are executed as a single, indivisible unit.
Synchronization is implemented in various ways across different programming languages:
* C/C++: Provides synchronization primitives like mutexes, semaphores, and condition variables.
* Java: Includes synchronization keywords like `synchronized` and classes like `ReentrantLock`.
* Python: Offers threading module with locks, semaphores, and condition variables.
* Go: Supports channels and goroutines for concurrent programming and synchronization.
If you provide more context about where you encountered the term "sync", I might be able to provide a more precise answer.