C++ Threading & Synchronization Learning Guide 🧵

A beginner-friendly learning repository for C++ concurrency concepts. Learn step-by-step with clear examples and explanations.

🔗 Resources

• 🔴 YouTube: Cpp Nuts Multithreading Playlist
• C++ Reference

📚 What You'll Learn

• Fundamentals: Core threading concepts from scratch
• Implementations: Real-world patterns and solutions
• Best Practices: How to write safe, efficient concurrent code

🚀 Quick Start

Build All Examples (using Makefile)

git clone https://github.com/Prayag2003/multithreading
cd multithreading
make

Output:

Clean all built binaries

make clean

Run an Example

./bin/00_basics_of_threads

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📖 Fundamentals: Threading Basics

#	Code File	Documentation	What You'll Learn
00	00_basics_of_threads.cpp	📖 Basics of Threads	What threads are, race conditions
01	01_thread_creation.cpp	📖 Thread Creation	Functions, functors, lambdas
02	02_join_detach.cpp	📖 join() vs detach()	Thread lifetime, waiting
03	03_mutex.cpp	📖 Mutex Protection	Protecting shared data
04	04_try_lock.cpp	📖 try_lock()	Non-blocking locks
05	05_multiple_try_lock.cpp	📖 Multiple Locks	Locking multiple mutexes safely
06	06_recursion_lock.cpp	📖 Recursive Mutex	Recursive locking
07	07_lock_guard.cpp	📖 Lock Guard	RAII, exception safety
08	08_unique_lock.cpp	📖 Unique Lock	Deferred locking, timed waits
09	09_conditional_variable.cpp	📖 Condition Variables	Thread signaling, producer-consumer pattern
10	10_deadlock.cpp	📖 Deadlock Prevention	Circular waits, prevention
11	11_future_and_promise.cpp	📖 Futures & Promises	Getting results from threads
12	12_async.cpp	📖 std::async	Automatic async execution

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🏗️ Implementations: Real-World Patterns

#	Code File	Documentation	What You'll Learn
00	00_producer_consumer_mutex.cpp	📖 Producer-Consumer (Mutex)	Bounded buffer, mutex-based synchronization
01	01_atomic.cpp	📖 Atomics	Lock-free counters, atomic operations
02	02_binary_semaphore.cpp	📖 Binary Semaphore	Semaphore basics, acquire/release pattern
03	03_producer_consumer_semaphore.cpp	📖 Producer-Consumer (Semaphore)	Elegant bounded buffer using semaphores

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🎯 Key Concepts Quick Reference

Concept	Use When	See Example
Mutex	Protecting shared data	03_mutex.cpp
Lock Guard	Simple RAII locking	07_lock_guard.cpp
Unique Lock	Manual lock control	08_unique_lock.cpp
Condition Variables	Thread coordination	09_conditional_variable.cpp
std::async	Fetching results from threads	12_async.cpp
Atomics	Lock-free shared counters/flags	01_atomic.cpp
Semaphores	Resource counting	03_producer_consumer_semaphore.cpp

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💡 Common Patterns

Protect Shared Data

std::mutex mtx;
std::lock_guard<std::mutex> guard(mtx);

Wait for a Signal

cv.wait(lock, [] { return ready; });

Get a Result from a Thread

auto future = std::async(compute);
int result = future.get();

Lock Multiple Resources Safely

std::scoped_lock lock(m1, m2);

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🔧 Requirements

• C++20 or later
• GCC / Clang / MSVC
• pthread support

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📚 Project Structure (UPDATED)

threading-guide/
├── fundamentals/
│   ├── *.cpp                    # Basic threading examples
│   └── documentation/           # Markdown docs for fundamentals
│       └── *.md
├── implementations/
│   ├── *.cpp                    # Advanced real-world patterns
│   └── documentation/           # Markdown docs for implementations
│       └── *.md
├── bin/                         # Auto-created binaries (via Makefile)
├── Makefile
└── README.md

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🎓 How to Use This Repository

1. Start with Fundamentals → Work through 00 → 12
2. Read Documentation → Understand each concept deeply
3. Run Examples → See how they work
4. Experiment → Modify values, add threads, cause bugs
5. Move to Implementations → Learn real-world concurrency patterns