Lexicon Entry
Futex (Fast Userspace Mutex)
A Linux kernel mechanism that provides a fast, lightweight synchronization primitive. It avoids the overhead of a system call when a lock is uncontested by managing the lock state entirely in userspace atomic operations.
Related Knowledge & Cross-References
Guide
Windows Threads and Synchronization: Win32 API and NT Primitives
A deep dive into Windows multithreading. Learn how to manage threads with CreateThread, synchronize using SRWLocks, and build high-performance blocking mechanisms with WaitOnAddress (the Windows futex).
Guide
POSIX Threads and Linux Synchronization: The Magic of Futex
A deep dive into thread creation with pthreads and how Linux avoids system calls in fast path synchronization using futexes.