What are best practices for working with locking (flock)?

Working with file locking in Perl using the flock function is essential for ensuring that your scripts can safely access shared resources without causing data corruption or race conditions. Here are some best practices to keep in mind:

• Use exclusive locks whenever necessary: When you need to write to a file, use an exclusive lock to prevent other processes from accessing the file simultaneously.
• Always check the return value of flock: Always check if the flock operation was successful. If not, handle the error appropriately.
• Release locks promptly: Ensure that you release locks as soon as you are done with the file to avoid blocking other processes.
• Consider using timeouts: Implement a mechanism to time out waiting for a lock if it takes too long. This can help prevent deadlocks.
• Document your locking strategy: Clearly document how locking is implemented in your code to help maintainers understand the flow.