What is a deadlock in Java and how can it be avoided
A deadlock is a situation in computer programming where two or more threads are blocked indefinitely, waiting for each other to release a resource. In Java, this can occur when multiple threads need to access multiple objects or resources and each thread holds a lock on one resource while waiting for another thread to release the lock on the other resource. As a result, both threads wait for each other to release their lock, leading to a deadlock.
To avoid deadlocks in Java, you can follow these best practices:
Avoid locking on multiple objects: Instead, lock only on the lowest-level objects and make sure to lock them in the same order in each thread to prevent circular waiting.
Use timeouts: When acquiring a lock, set a timeout so that if the lock cannot be acquired within a certain time, the thread can continue and avoid waiting indefinitely.
Avoid nested locks: When a thread acquires a lock on an object, it should not attempt to acquire any other locks on that object or any other objects until it has released the original lock.
Use lock objects instead of synchronized methods: Lock objects provide more fine-grained control over locking and allow for the use of try-finally blocks to ensure that locks are always released.
