How to implement a thread-safe counter in Go?
To implement a thread-safe counter in Go, use either mutexes or atomic operations. 1. Mutexes ensure safe access by locking shared data, allowing only one goroutine to modify the counter at a time, as demonstrated with the sync.Mutex in a Counter struct. 2. Atomic operations such as atomic.AddInt32 provide a lock-free and more efficient alternative for simple numeric counters. Use mutexes when protecting complex structures or multiple variables together, and prefer atomics for single-variable increments where performance is critical. Both approaches prevent race conditions and ensure thread safety in concurrent environments.
Implementing a thread-safe counter in Go is straightforward thanks to the language’s built-in concurrency tools. The key is to ensure that multiple goroutines can read and update the counter without causing race conditions. There are two main ways to do this: using mutexes or leveraging the atomic package.
Using Mutex for Thread-Safe Counter
A common and clear way to protect shared data like a counter is by using a mutex from the sync package. This ensures only one goroutine can modify the counter at a time.
Here's how you can do it:
package main
import (
"fmt"
"sync"
)
type Counter struct {
mu sync.Mutex
value int
}
func (c *Counter) Inc() {
c.mu.Lock()
defer c.mu.Unlock()
c.value
}
func (c *Counter) Value() int {
c.mu.Lock()
defer c.mu.Unlock()
return c.value
}
func main() {
var wg sync.WaitGroup
counter := Counter{}
for i := 0; i < 1000; i {
wg.Add(1)
go func() {
defer wg.Done()
counter.Inc()
}()
}
wg.Wait()
fmt.Println("Final counter value:", counter.Value())
}- The
Inc()method locks the mutex before incrementing the counter and unlocks after. - The
Value()method also uses the mutex to safely return the current count. - This pattern avoids data races but may have some performance overhead due to locking.
Using Atomic Operations
If your use case is simple—like just incrementing a number—you can use the atomic package, which provides low-level atomic operations that are faster than mutexes.
Here’s an example:
package main
import (
"fmt"
"runtime"
"sync"
"sync/atomic"
)
func main() {
var counter int32
var wg sync.WaitGroup
for i := 0; i < 1000; i {
wg.Add(1)
go func() {
defer wg.Done()
atomic.AddInt32(&counter, 1)
}()
}
wg.Wait()
runtime.Gosched() // Optional, to give other goroutines a chance to finish
fmt.Println("Final counter value:", counter)
}-
atomic.AddInt32atomically increments the counter. - No need for explicit locks, which makes this method more efficient for simple counters.
- Make sure to use the correct type like
int32orint64, depending on your needs.
When to Use Mutex vs Atomic
-
Use a mutex when:
- You have more complex data structures or logic.
- You need to protect multiple variables or perform multiple operations as a group.
-
Use atomic when:
- You’re dealing with a single numeric variable.
- You want better performance and don’t need complex synchronization.
Both approaches work well in Go, so choose based on your specific situation.
That’s basically all you need to know. Whether you pick a mutex or atomic operation depends on simplicity and context — both will keep your counter safe in concurrent environments.
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