layout	pattern
title	Mutex
folder	mutex
permalink	/patterns/mutex/
categories	Concurrency
tags	Java Difficulty-Intermediate

Also known as

Mutual Exclusion Lock Binary Semaphore

Intent

Create a lock which only allows a single thread to access a resource at any one instant.

Applicability

Use a Mutex when

• you need to prevent two threads accessing a critical section at the same time
• concurrent access to a resource could lead to a race condition

Credits

• [Lock (computer science)] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_(computer_science))
• [Semaphores] (http://tutorials.jenkov.com/java-concurrency/semaphores.html)