– Room 8
ags likes distributed systems in all shapes and form. Coding since the age of 8, loves simplicity and continuous delivery. While he has written in many languages, he favours the JVM. Since „most software problems are people problems”, he stirs communities, organizes and speaks at conferences (proud to be a JavaONE Rockstar!). He is passionate about all things data, because science! In his spare time… cycling, photography and books. And he is a Java Champion!
Are you curious about lock-free programming but only familiar with using locks in concurrent Java? This talk is for you! We'll make the concepts of lock-free programming approachable, starting with why it matters and the basics of progress guarantees. You’ll learn to differentiate between wait-freedom, lock-freedom, and obstruction-freedom, understanding why these guarantees are crucial.
We’ll explore essential lock-free programming idioms, like Compare-And-Swap (CAS) for atomic updates, markable references for efficient state management, and the sentinel node technique for simplifying concurrent data structures.
The infamous ABA problem will be demystified—what it is, why it’s problematic, and how to tackle it with techniques like versioning.
To see these concepts in action, we’ll implement three lock-free data structures in Java: a stack, a queue, and a linked list. These examples will highlight the practical application of lock-free techniques and the challenges they address.
Finally, we’ll discuss performance characteristics, comparing the benefits and limitations of lock-free programming versus traditional locking. You’ll learn when to use lock-free methods for better scalability and when sticking with locks might be more appropriate.
Join us to elevate your concurrent programming skills and confidently start experimenting with lock-free programming in your Java projects!
Developers excited about performance.