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Programming Concepts Intermediate

What is Thread?

The smallest unit of execution within a process, allowing concurrent operations to run within a single program.

Threads share the same memory space within a process, enabling parallel execution of tasks. Multi-threading improves performance for CPU-bound tasks on multi-core processors and keeps applications responsive during I/O operations.

Challenges include race conditions (concurrent access to shared data), deadlocks (threads waiting on each other), and thread safety. Synchronization primitives (mutexes, semaphores) coordinate access. Modern approaches include async/await and actor models.

Related Terms

Agile
A software development methodology that emphasizes iterative development, collaboration, and rapid response to change.
Queue
A data structure that follows First-In-First-Out (FIFO) ordering, where elements are added at the rear and removed from the front.
Concurrency
The ability of a program to manage multiple tasks that can make progress during overlapping time periods.
Hash Table
A data structure that maps keys to values using a hash function, providing average O(1) time complexity for lookups, insertions, and deletions.
Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
A programming paradigm that organizes software design around objects containing data and behavior.
Technical Debt
The implied cost of additional rework caused by choosing a quick solution now instead of a better approach that would take longer.
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