What is the difference between thread and process?

In the context of multithreading, threads and processes are both fundamental concepts that play a crucial role in concurrent programming. Understanding the difference between them is essential for efficient use of resources and designing scalable applications.

Thread:

A thread is the smallest unit of execution within a process. It shares the same memory space as its parent process and other threads within the same process. Threads are lightweight, as they require less overhead to create and manage compared to processes. Multiple threads within a process can run concurrently and efficiently communicate with each other through shared memory.

Process:

A process is an independent instance of a running program. It has its own memory space, resources, and execution environment. Processes are heavyweight compared to threads, as they require more resources to create and manage. Each process has its unique address space, allowing for isolation and protection of data between processes. Processes communicate with each other using inter-process communication mechanisms.

Differences:

• Threads exist within a process, while processes are independent entities.
• Threads share the same memory space, while processes have their own memory space.
• Threads are lightweight in terms of resource consumption, processes are heavyweight.
• Threads are more suitable for task parallelism, while processes are more suited for data parallelism.
• Threads communicate through shared memory, processes communicate through inter-process communication.

In summary, threads and processes serve different purposes in multithreading and concurrent programming, and understanding their differences is essential for efficient utilization of system resources and designing scalable applications.