What are best practices for working with AtomicInteger / AtomicReference?

When working with AtomicInteger and AtomicReference in Java, it's important to follow best practices to ensure thread-safety and optimal performance. These classes are part of the java.util.concurrent.atomic package and are designed to support lock-free thread-safe programming.

Best Practices for AtomicInteger

  • Use AtomicInteger for counters and values that need to be modified by multiple threads.
  • Utilize methods like incrementAndGet(), decrementAndGet(), and compareAndSet() for atomic updates.
  • Minimize the exposure of the underlying integer by keeping the AtomicInteger private.
  • Avoid using get() and then calling set() in multiple operations, as this can lead to inconsistencies.

Best Practices for AtomicReference

  • Use AtomicReference when you need to manage references to objects and ensure thread-safety.
  • Use get() and set() methods for straightforward replacements.
  • Employ compareAndSet() to perform atomic updates based on the current state.
  • Be cautious about mutable objects held by AtomicReference; ensure that these objects are also designed for thread-safety.

Example Code

// Example using AtomicInteger import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger; public class AtomicIntegerExample { private AtomicInteger count = new AtomicInteger(0); public void increment() { count.incrementAndGet(); } public int getCount() { return count.get(); } } // Example using AtomicReference import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference; public class AtomicReferenceExample { private AtomicReference name = new AtomicReference<>("Initial Name"); public void updateName(String newName) { name.set(newName); } public String getName() { return name.get(); } }

AtomicInteger AtomicReference Java Concurrency Thread-safety Best Practices Performance