何时使用pthread_mutex_t

Question

Can someone please explain in what scenario's it would be beneficial to use std::mutex vs pthread_mutex_t. I dont understand why we would ever use pthread_mutex_t. Thanks

Answer 1

The pthread_mutex_t is a POSIX solution (available for linux and other UNIX systems) that existed before c++11 introduced synchronisation primitives into the c++ library. You should use std::mutex now, amongst other things it is more cross-platform (can be used under Windows also).

Answer 2

std::mutex is just a thin wrapper around pthread_mutex on systems supporting pthreads.

In general, the operations on the std:: thread primitives are quite limited vs the native versions (pthreads or windows threads). If you don't need those features, you should always use the std:: versions, but if you do need the advanced features, then you have no choice but to use the native version.

native handle() method exists for exactly this reason.

Answer 3

std::mutex is from standard library, so if you use it your code will compile also on platforms where pthreads are not provided. For example under windows std::mutex uses native WinAPI mutex implementation.

Its best to always use std::mutex .

Answer 4

See pthread_mutexattr for an idea of the other flavors of POSIX mutexes available besides the default. Though one of the main ones-- recursive vs. nonrecursive-- is available with std::recursive_mutex, this is not true for things like BSD priority ceilings, etc.