Python Thread Synchronization with the threading Module

Learn how to synchronize threads in Python using the threading module. Discover how the Lock(), acquire(), and release() methods are used to control thread execution and ensure safe access to shared resources.

Python - Synchronizing Threads

The threading module in Python includes a simple locking mechanism to synchronize threads. A new lock is created by calling the Lock() method, which returns the new lock.

The acquire(blocking) method of the new lock object is used to force the threads to run synchronously. The optional blocking parameter allows you to control whether the thread waits to acquire the lock.

• If blocking is set to 0, the thread returns immediately with a 0 value if the lock cannot be acquired and with a 1 if the lock was acquired.
• If blocking is set to 1, the thread blocks and waits for the lock to be released.

The release() method of the new lock object is used to release the lock when it is no longer required.

Example

The following example demonstrates synchronizing threads using a lock.

import threading
import time

class myThread(threading.Thread):
    def __init__(self, threadID, name, counter):
        threading.Thread.__init__(self)
        self.threadID = threadID
        self.name = name
        self.counter = counter

    def run(self):
        print("Starting " + self.name)
        # Get lock to synchronize threads
        threadLock.acquire()
        print_time(self.name, self.counter, 3)
        # Free lock to release next thread
        threadLock.release()

def print_time(threadName, delay, counter):
    while counter:
        time.sleep(delay)
        print("%s: %s" % (threadName, time.ctime(time.time())))
        counter -= 1

threadLock = threading.Lock()
threads = []

# Create new threads
thread1 = myThread(1, "Thread-1", 1)
thread2 = myThread(2, "Thread-2", 2)

# Start new Threads
thread1.start()
thread2.start()

# Add threads to thread list
threads.append(thread1)
threads.append(thread2)

# Wait for all threads to complete
for t in threads:
    t.join()
print("Exiting Main Thread")
            

Starting Thread-1
Starting Thread-2
Thread-1: Thu Jul 13 21:10:11 2023
Thread-1: Thu Jul 13 21:10:12 2023
Thread-1: Thu Jul 13 21:10:13 2023
Thread-2: Thu Jul 13 21:10:15 2023
Thread-2: Thu Jul 13 21:10:17 2023
Thread-2: Thu Jul 13 21:10:19 2023
Exiting Main Thread