The translation has come to an end.
Zen

Source string Source string

539/10000 · 539

The string is read-only.

English Actions
[#concurrent] = Concurrent Containers
:idprefix: concurrent_
Boost.Unordered provides `boost::concurrent_node_set`, `boost::concurrent_node_map`, `boost::concurrent_flat_set` and `boost::concurrent_flat_map`, hash tables that allow concurrent write/read access from different threads without having to implement any synchronzation mechanism on the user's side.
In the example above, threads access `m` without synchronization, just as we'd do in a single-threaded scenario. In an ideal setting, if a given workload is distributed among _N_ threads, execution is _N_ times faster than with one thread —this limit is never attained in practice due to synchronization overheads and _contention_ (one thread waiting for another to leave a locked portion of the map), but Boost.Unordered concurrent containers are designed to perform with very little overhead and typically achieve _linear scaling_ (that is, performance is proportional to the number of threads up to the number of logical cores in the CPU).
Visitation-based API
The first thing a new user of Boost.Unordered concurrent containers will notice is that these classes _do not provide iterators_ (which makes them technically not https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/named_req/Container[Containers^] in the C++ standard sense). The reason for this is that iterators are inherently thread-unsafe. Consider this hypothetical code:
In a multithreaded scenario, the iterator `it` may be invalid at point B if some other thread issues an `m.erase(k)` operation between A and B. There are designs that can remedy this by making iterators lock the element they point to, but this approach lends itself to high contention and can easily produce deadlocks in a program. `operator[]` has similar concurrency issues, and is not provided by `boost::concurrent_flat_map`/`boost::concurrent_node_map` either. Instead, element access is done through so-called _visitation functions_:
The visitation function passed by the user (in this case, a lambda function) is executed internally by Boost.Unordered in a thread-safe manner, so it can access the element without worrying about other threads interfering in the process.
On the other hand, a visitation function can _not_ access the container itself:
Access to a different container is allowed, though:
But, in general, visitation functions should be as lightweight as possible to reduce contention and increase parallelization. In some cases, moving heavy work outside of visitation may be beneficial:
Visitation is prominent in the API provided by concurrent containers, and many classical operations have visitation-enabled variations:
Note that in this last example the visitation function could actually _modify_ the element: as a general rule, operations on a concurrent map `m` will grant visitation functions const/non-const access to the element depending on whether `m` is const/non-const. Const access can be always be explicitly requested by using `cvisit` overloads (for instance, `insert_or_cvisit`) and may result in higher parallelization. For concurrent sets, on the other hand, visitation is always const access.
Although expected to be used much less frequently, concurrent containers also provide insertion operations where an element can be visited right after element creation (in addition to the usual visitation when an equivalent element already exists):
Consult the references of `xref:reference/concurrent_node_set.adoc#concurrent_node_set[boost::concurrent_node_set]`, `xref:reference/concurrent_node_map.adoc#concurrent_node_map[boost::concurrent_node_map]`, `xref:reference/concurrent_flat_set.adoc#concurrent_flat_set[boost::concurrent_flat_set]` and `xref:reference/concurrent_flat_map.adoc#concurrent_flat_map[boost::concurrent_flat_map]` for the complete list of visitation-enabled operations.
Whole-Table Visitation
In the absence of iterators, `visit_all` is provided as an alternative way to process all the elements in the container:
In C++17 compilers implementing standard parallel algorithms, whole-table visitation can be parallelized:
Traversal can be interrupted midway:
There is one last whole-table visitation operation, `erase_if`:
`visit_while` and `erase_if` can also be parallelized. Note that, in order to increase efficiency, whole-table visitation operations do not block the table during execution: this implies that elements may be inserted, modified or erased by other threads during visitation. It is advisable not to assume too much about the exact global state of a concurrent container at any point in your program.
Bulk visitation
English Actions
[#concurrent] = Concurrent Containers
:idprefix: concurrent_
Boost.Unordered provides `boost::concurrent_node_set`, `boost::concurrent_node_map`, `boost::concurrent_flat_set` and `boost::concurrent_flat_map`, hash tables that allow concurrent write/read access from different threads without having to implement any synchronzation mechanism on the user's side.
In the example above, threads access `m` without synchronization, just as we'd do in a single-threaded scenario. In an ideal setting, if a given workload is distributed among _N_ threads, execution is _N_ times faster than with one thread —this limit is never attained in practice due to synchronization overheads and _contention_ (one thread waiting for another to leave a locked portion of the map), but Boost.Unordered concurrent containers are designed to perform with very little overhead and typically achieve _linear scaling_ (that is, performance is proportional to the number of threads up to the number of logical cores in the CPU).
Visitation-based API
The first thing a new user of Boost.Unordered concurrent containers will notice is that these classes _do not provide iterators_ (which makes them technically not https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/named_req/Container[Containers^] in the C++ standard sense). The reason for this is that iterators are inherently thread-unsafe. Consider this hypothetical code:
In a multithreaded scenario, the iterator `it` may be invalid at point B if some other thread issues an `m.erase(k)` operation between A and B. There are designs that can remedy this by making iterators lock the element they point to, but this approach lends itself to high contention and can easily produce deadlocks in a program. `operator[]` has similar concurrency issues, and is not provided by `boost::concurrent_flat_map`/`boost::concurrent_node_map` either. Instead, element access is done through so-called _visitation functions_:
The visitation function passed by the user (in this case, a lambda function) is executed internally by Boost.Unordered in a thread-safe manner, so it can access the element without worrying about other threads interfering in the process.
On the other hand, a visitation function can _not_ access the container itself:
Access to a different container is allowed, though:
But, in general, visitation functions should be as lightweight as possible to reduce contention and increase parallelization. In some cases, moving heavy work outside of visitation may be beneficial:
Visitation is prominent in the API provided by concurrent containers, and many classical operations have visitation-enabled variations:
Note that in this last example the visitation function could actually _modify_ the element: as a general rule, operations on a concurrent map `m` will grant visitation functions const/non-const access to the element depending on whether `m` is const/non-const. Const access can be always be explicitly requested by using `cvisit` overloads (for instance, `insert_or_cvisit`) and may result in higher parallelization. For concurrent sets, on the other hand, visitation is always const access.
Although expected to be used much less frequently, concurrent containers also provide insertion operations where an element can be visited right after element creation (in addition to the usual visitation when an equivalent element already exists):
Consult the references of `xref:reference/concurrent_node_set.adoc#concurrent_node_set[boost::concurrent_node_set]`, `xref:reference/concurrent_node_map.adoc#concurrent_node_map[boost::concurrent_node_map]`, `xref:reference/concurrent_flat_set.adoc#concurrent_flat_set[boost::concurrent_flat_set]` and `xref:reference/concurrent_flat_map.adoc#concurrent_flat_map[boost::concurrent_flat_map]` for the complete list of visitation-enabled operations.
Whole-Table Visitation
In the absence of iterators, `visit_all` is provided as an alternative way to process all the elements in the container:
In C++17 compilers implementing standard parallel algorithms, whole-table visitation can be parallelized:
Traversal can be interrupted midway:
There is one last whole-table visitation operation, `erase_if`:
`visit_while` and `erase_if` can also be parallelized. Note that, in order to increase efficiency, whole-table visitation operations do not block the table during execution: this implies that elements may be inserted, modified or erased by other threads during visitation. It is advisable not to assume too much about the exact global state of a concurrent container at any point in your program.

Loading…

User avatar admin

String added in the repository
In a multithreaded scenario, the iterator `it` may be invalid at point B if some other thread issues an `m.erase(k)` operation between A and B. There are designs that can remedy this by making iterators lock the element they point to, but this approach lends itself to high contention and can easily produce deadlocks in a program. `operator[]` has similar concurrency issues, and is not provided by `boost::concurrent_flat_map`/`boost::concurrent_node_map` either. Instead, element access is done through so-called _visitation functions_:
In a multithreaded scenario, the iterator `it` may be invalid at point B if some other thread issues an `m.erase(k)` operation between A and B. There are designs that can remedy this by making iterators lock the element they point to, but this approach lends itself to high contention and can easily produce deadlocks in a program. `operator[]` has similar concurrency issues, and is not provided by `boost::concurrent_flat_map`/`boost::concurrent_node_map` either. Instead, element access is done through so-called _visitation functions_:
06/05/2026
Browse all string changes

Glossary

English English
No related strings found in the glossary.

String information

Flags
read-only, safe-html, strict-same
Unit identifier
43614
Source string location
:61
String age
06/05/2026
Last updated
06/05/2026
Source string age
06/05/2026
Translation file AsciiDoc file
doc/modules/ROOT/pages/concurrent.adoc, string 7