volatile Keyword in Java

volatile Keyword in Java

The volatile keyword ensures visibility and consistency of variables in a multithreaded environment.

Key Points:

1. Visibility: Changes to a volatile variable by one thread are immediately visible to others.
2. No Caching: Prevents threads from caching the variable locally; always reads from main memory.
3. Usage: Ideal for flags or variables shared between threads, but not suitable for complex synchronization.

Example:

Use volatile for lightweight thread communication. For atomicity, consider synchronized or java.util.concurrent classes.