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Thread

Multithreading in Java allows multiple threads to execute simultaneously, utilizing shared memory to save resources and reduce context-switching time. It offers advantages such as non-blocking user experience, time efficiency, and thread independence during exceptions. The Java Thread class provides methods for thread management and defines a life cycle that includes states such as new, runnable, waiting, timed waiting, and terminated.

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Aditya Saraswat
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18 views4 pages

Thread

Multithreading in Java allows multiple threads to execute simultaneously, utilizing shared memory to save resources and reduce context-switching time. It offers advantages such as non-blocking user experience, time efficiency, and thread independence during exceptions. The Java Thread class provides methods for thread management and defines a life cycle that includes states such as new, runnable, waiting, timed waiting, and terminated.

Uploaded by

Aditya Saraswat
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Multithreading in Java

Multithreading in Java is a process of executing multiple threads simultaneously.

A thread is a lightweight sub-process, the smallest unit of processing.


Multiprocessing and multithreading, both are used to achieve multitasking.

However, we use multithreading than multiprocessing because threads use a shared


memory area. They don't allocate separate memory area so saves memory, and
context-switching between the threads takes less time than process.

Java Multithreading is mostly used in games, animation, etc.

Advantages of Java Multithreading


1) It doesn't block the user because threads are independent and you can
perform multiple operations at the same time.

2) You can perform many operations together, so it saves time.

3) Threads are independent, so it doesn't affect other threads if an exception


occurs in a single thread.

Multitasking
Multitasking is a process of executing multiple tasks simultaneously. We use
multitasking to utilize the CPU. Multitasking can be achieved in two ways:

o Process-based Multitasking (Multiprocessing)


o Thread-based Multitasking (Multithreading)

1) Process-based Multitasking (Multiprocessing)


o Each process has an address in memory. In other words, each process
allocates a separate memory area.
o A process is heavyweight.
o Cost of communication between the process is high.
o Switching from one process to another requires some time for saving and
loading registers, memory maps, updating lists, etc.

2) Thread-based Multitasking (Multithreading)


o Threads share the same address space.
o A thread is lightweight.
o Cost of communication between the thread is low.
What is Thread in java
A thread is a lightweight subprocess, the smallest unit of processing. It is a separate
path of execution.

Threads are independent. If there occurs exception in one thread, it doesn't affect
other threads. It uses a shared memory area.

As shown in the above figure, a thread is executed inside the process. There is
context-switching between the threads. There can be multiple processes inside
the OS, and one process can have multiple threads.

Note: At a time one thread is executed only


Java Thread class
Java provides Thread class to achieve thread programming. Thread class
provides constructors and methods to create and perform operations on a thread.
Thread class extends Object class and implements Runnable interface.

Life Cycle of a Thread


A thread goes through various stages in its life cycle. For example, a thread is born,
started, runs, and then dies. The following diagram shows the complete life cycle of
a thread

Following are the stages of the life cycle −


• New − A new thread begins its life cycle in the new state. It remains in this
state until the program starts the thread. It is also referred to as a born thread.
• Runnable − After a newly born thread is started, the thread becomes runnable.
A thread in this state is considered to be executing its task.
• Waiting − Sometimes, a thread transitions to the waiting state while the thread
waits for another thread to perform a task. A thread transitions back to the
runnable state only when another thread signals the waiting thread to continue
executing.
• Timed Waiting − A runnable thread can enter the timed waiting state for a
specified interval of time. A thread in this state transitions back to the runnable
state when that time interval expires or when the event it is waiting for occurs.
• Terminated (Dead) − A runnable thread enters the terminated state when it
completes its task or otherwise terminates.
Java Thread Methods
S.N. Modifier and Type Method Description

1) void start() It is used to start the execution of the thread.

2) void run() It is used to do an action for a thread.

3) static void sleep() It sleeps a thread for the specified amount of time.

4) static Thread currentThread() It returns a reference to the currently executing thread

object.

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