C++ Multithreading Tutorial

Basic Thread Creation

Use the std::thread library to create threads:

#include <thread>
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

void printMessage() {
    cout << "Hello from thread!" << endl;
}

int main() {
    thread t1(printMessage);
    t1.join(); // Wait for the thread to finish
    return 0;
}
                

Thread Arguments

Pass arguments to threads using functions or lambdas:

#include <thread>
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

void printNumber(int n) {
    cout << "Number: " << n << endl;
}

int main() {
    thread t2(printNumber, 42);
    t2.join();
    return 0;
}
                

Synchronization

Use synchronization tools like mutexes to avoid data races:

#include <thread>
#include <mutex>
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

mutex mtx;

void printSafe(int n) {
    lock_guard<mutex> lock(mtx);
    cout << "Thread-safe number: " << n << endl;
}

int main() {
    thread t3(printSafe, 1);
    thread t4(printSafe, 2);
    t3.join();
    t4.join();
    return 0;
}
                

Advantages of Multithreading

• Improves performance by parallelizing tasks.
• Optimizes CPU usage, especially on multi-core systems.
• Enhances responsiveness in applications.