Synchronization

#description

Synchronization in Java is a technique used to manage access to shared resources or critical sections of code in a multi-threaded environment. In a multi-threaded environment, multiple threads can concurrently access the same resources or code, which can lead to race conditions or inconsistencies in the program's behavior.

Synchronization ensures that only one thread can access a shared resource or critical section of code at a time, preventing race conditions and maintaining consistency in the program's behavior.

In Java, synchronization can be achieved using the synchronized keyword, which can be applied to methods, blocks of code, or entire classes. When a thread runs a synchronized block or method, it acquires a lock on the object associated with that block or method, preventing other threads from accessing it until the lock is released.

For example, consider a scenario where multiple threads are accessing a shared variable. Without synchronization, race conditions can occur, and the value of the variable can become inconsistent.

To prevent this, we can use synchronization as follows:

                    
private int sharedVariable;

public synchronized void incrementVariable() {
    sharedVariable++;
}

In the above code, the incrementVariable() method is synchronized, which ensures that only one thread can access it at a time. This prevents race conditions and maintains consistency in the value of the sharedVariable.

Overall, synchronization is an essential concept in multi-threaded programming, as it ensures that the program behaves consistently and reliably in a multi-threaded environment.

March 25, 2023

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