Synchronization Protocols
Synchronization protocols are mechanisms in computer science that coordinate the execution of concurrent processes or threads to ensure orderly access to shared resources, preventing issues like race conditions and deadlocks. They are fundamental in distributed systems, operating systems, and multi-threaded applications to maintain data consistency and system reliability. Common examples include locks, semaphores, monitors, and consensus algorithms like Paxos or Raft.
Developers should learn synchronization protocols when building systems with concurrency, such as multi-threaded applications, distributed databases, or real-time collaborative tools, to avoid data corruption and ensure predictable behavior. They are essential in scenarios like coordinating access to shared memory in operating systems, managing transactions in distributed systems, or implementing fault-tolerant services that require agreement among nodes.