When to use volatile with multi threading?
In multithreading programming, the keyword is typically used to ensure that reads and writes to a variable are visible to all threads. This prevents the compiler from optimizing code involving this variable, ensuring that each access to the variable is directly from main memory rather than from the thread's local cache. The keyword is particularly suitable for certain specific multithreading scenarios:1. Status FlagsIn a multithreaded environment, variables are commonly used as status flags. For example, one thread monitors a condition, and other threads respond when this condition changes. A common example is stopping the execution of a thread. Suppose there is a thread running continuously, and the main thread needs to stop it at some point:In this example, the main thread can call the method to update the value of the variable. Since is , this change is visible to the thread, and the thread will stop safely.2. Single Write, Multiple ReadsWhen a variable is written only once during its lifetime but read multiple times by multiple threads, the keyword can be used. This ensures that all threads see the latest value.In this example, once the configuration value is set via the method, all other threads calling will see the updated value.NotesNot a Synchronization Mechanism: Although ensures visibility of variables, it does not provide all the features of synchronization mechanisms. For example, it does not provide mutual exclusion locking or prevent instruction reordering like does.Limited to Variables: can only be used at the variable level and does not guarantee visibility of object internal states or atomicity of compound operations. For example, increment operations () are not atomic.In summary, is suitable for simple state marking of variables or scenarios with few writes and frequent reads. However, for complex synchronization or when multiple variables change together, consider using or advanced synchronization tools from the package. In Java programming, the keyword is typically used with multithreading environments to ensure variable visibility and prevent instruction reordering.VisibilityIn a multithreaded program without synchronization measures, threads can cache variables in local memory. If one thread modifies the value of a variable, other threads may not see this change because they read from their own local memory copies. Using the keyword ensures that when a thread modifies a variable, the new value is immediately visible to other threads. This is because the keyword tells the JVM and compiler not to reorder read/write operations with other memory operations and ensures that each read/write is directly to main memory.Example:Suppose you have a program where one thread (the producer) continuously updates the value of a variable , and another thread (the consumer) needs to read the latest value of and process it. If is not declared as , the consumer thread may not see the updates made by the producer thread.Preventing Instruction ReorderingInstruction reordering is an optimization performed by compilers and processors to improve program performance, but it can lead to unexpected behavior in multithreaded environments. The keyword prevents reordering of operations involving the variable it modifies, ensuring that the execution order matches the code order.Example:Suppose you have two variables and , where depends on the value of . In a multithreaded environment, to ensure that operations on see the latest value of , declare as .In this example, is declared as , ensuring that the operations 1 () and 2 () in the method are not reordered. This means that when is , must have been written as 1.In summary, the keyword is very useful in multithreaded programming, primarily for ensuring variable visibility and preventing instruction reordering, making multithreaded programs more secure and predictable. However, note that does not provide atomicity, and for compound operations, locks or other synchronization tools should be used.