How do I use mutexes, locks, and lock_guard?

In C++, concurrency can lead to complexities, especially when multiple threads access shared resources. Using mutexes, locks, and lock guards is essential for managing these accesses safely. A mutex (short for mutual exclusion) is a synchronization primitive that prevents multiple threads from accessing the same resource at the same time. Locks provide a way to acquire a mutex and automatically release it when no longer needed. The `std::lock_guard` is a convenient RAII-style mechanism that locks a mutex upon creation and unlocks it upon destruction.

Example of Using Mutexes and Lock Guards

#include <iostream> #include <thread> #include <mutex> std::mutex mtx; int sharedCounter = 0; void incrementCounter() { std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(mtx); // Locking the mutex ++sharedCounter; std::cout << "Counter: " << sharedCounter << std::endl; } int main() { std::thread t1(incrementCounter); std::thread t2(incrementCounter); t1.join(); t2.join(); return 0; }

C++ mutex locks lock_guard concurrency multithreading thread safety

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