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[ThirdParty] Added libuv

author	June Park <parkjune1995@gmail.com>
date	Wed, 14 Jan 2026 19:39:52 -0800
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+Threads
+=======
+Wait a minute? Why are we on threads? Aren't event loops supposed to be **the
+way** to do *web-scale programming*? Well... no. Threads are still the medium in
+which processors do their jobs. Threads are therefore mighty useful sometimes, even
+though you might have to wade through various synchronization primitives.
+Threads are used internally to fake the asynchronous nature of all of the system
+calls. libuv also uses threads to allow you, the application, to perform a task
+asynchronously that is actually blocking, by spawning a thread and collecting
+the result when it is done.
+Today there are two predominant thread libraries: the Windows threads
+implementation and POSIX's :man:`pthreads(7)`. libuv's thread API is analogous to
+the pthreads API and often has similar semantics.
+A notable aspect of libuv's thread facilities is that it is a self contained
+section within libuv. Whereas other features intimately depend on the event
+loop and callback principles, threads are complete agnostic, they block as
+required, signal errors directly via return values, and, as shown in the
+:ref:`first example <thread-create-example>`, don't even require a running
+event loop.
+libuv's thread API is also very limited since the semantics and syntax of
+threads are different on all platforms, with different levels of completeness.
+This chapter makes the following assumption: **There is only one event loop,
+running in one thread (the main thread)**. No other thread interacts
+with the event loop (except using ``uv_async_send``).
+Core thread operations
+----------------------
+There isn't much here, you just start a thread using ``uv_thread_create()`` and
+wait for it to close using ``uv_thread_join()``.
+.. _thread-create-example:
+.. rubric:: thread-create/main.c
+.. literalinclude:: ../../code/thread-create/main.c
+:language: c
+:linenos:
+:lines: 26-36
+:emphasize-lines: 3-7
+.. tip::
+``uv_thread_t`` is just an alias for ``pthread_t`` on Unix, but this is an
+implementation detail, avoid depending on it to always be true.
+The second parameter is the function which will serve as the entry point for
+the thread, the last parameter is a ``void *`` argument which can be used to pass
+custom parameters to the thread. The function ``hare`` will now run in a separate
+thread, scheduled pre-emptively by the operating system:
+.. rubric:: thread-create/main.c
+.. literalinclude:: ../../code/thread-create/main.c
+:language: c
+:linenos:
+:lines: 6-14
+:emphasize-lines: 2
+Unlike ``pthread_join()`` which allows the target thread to pass back a value to
+the calling thread using a second parameter, ``uv_thread_join()`` does not. To
+send values use :ref:`inter-thread-communication`.
+Synchronization Primitives
+--------------------------
+This section is purposely spartan. This book is not about threads, so I only
+catalogue any surprises in the libuv APIs here. For the rest you can look at
+the :man:`pthreads(7)` man pages.
+Mutexes
+~~~~~~~
+The mutex functions are a **direct** map to the pthread equivalents.
+.. rubric:: libuv mutex functions
+.. code-block:: c
+int uv_mutex_init(uv_mutex_t* handle);
+int uv_mutex_init_recursive(uv_mutex_t* handle);
+void uv_mutex_destroy(uv_mutex_t* handle);
+void uv_mutex_lock(uv_mutex_t* handle);
+int uv_mutex_trylock(uv_mutex_t* handle);
+void uv_mutex_unlock(uv_mutex_t* handle);
+The ``uv_mutex_init()``, ``uv_mutex_init_recursive()`` and ``uv_mutex_trylock()``
+functions will return 0 on success, and an error code otherwise.
+If `libuv` has been compiled with debugging enabled, ``uv_mutex_destroy()``,
+``uv_mutex_lock()`` and ``uv_mutex_unlock()`` will ``abort()`` on error.
+Similarly ``uv_mutex_trylock()`` will abort if the error is anything *other
+than* ``EAGAIN`` or ``EBUSY``.
+Recursive mutexes are supported, but you should not rely on them. Also, they
+should not be used with ``uv_cond_t`` variables.
+The default BSD mutex implementation will raise an error if a thread which has
+locked a mutex attempts to lock it again. For example, a construct like::
+uv_mutex_init(a_mutex);
+uv_mutex_lock(a_mutex);
+uv_thread_create(thread_id, entry, (void *)a_mutex);
+uv_mutex_lock(a_mutex);
+// more things here
+can be used to wait until another thread initializes some stuff and then
+unlocks ``a_mutex`` but will lead to your program crashing if in debug mode, or
+return an error in the second call to ``uv_mutex_lock()``.
+.. note::
+Mutexes on Windows are always recursive.
+Locks
+~~~~~
+Read-write locks are a more granular access mechanism. Two readers can access
+shared memory at the same time. A writer may not acquire the lock when it is
+held by a reader. A reader or writer may not acquire a lock when a writer is
+holding it. Read-write locks are frequently used in databases. Here is a toy
+example.
+.. rubric:: locks/main.c - simple rwlocks
+.. literalinclude:: ../../code/locks/main.c
+:language: c
+:linenos:
+:emphasize-lines: 13,16,27,31,42,55
+Run this and observe how the readers will sometimes overlap. In case of
+multiple writers, schedulers will usually give them higher priority, so if you
+add two writers, you'll see that both writers tend to finish first before the
+readers get a chance again.
+We also use barriers in the above example so that the main thread can wait for
+all readers and writers to indicate they have ended.
+Others
+~~~~~~
+libuv also supports semaphores_, `condition variables`_ and barriers_ with APIs
+very similar to their pthread counterparts.
+.. _semaphores: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semaphore_(programming)
+.. _condition variables: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitor_(synchronization)#Condition_variables_2
+.. _barriers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrier_(computer_science)
+In addition, libuv provides a convenience function ``uv_once()``. Multiple
+threads can attempt to call ``uv_once()`` with a given guard and a function
+pointer, **only the first one will win, the function will be called once and
+only once**::
+/* Initialize guard */
+static uv_once_t once_only = UV_ONCE_INIT;
+int i = 0;
+void increment() {
+i++;
+}
+void thread1() {
+/* ... work */
+uv_once(once_only, increment);
+}
+void thread2() {
+/* ... work */
+uv_once(once_only, increment);
+}
+int main() {
+/* ... spawn threads */
+}
+After all threads are done, ``i == 1``.
+.. _libuv-work-queue:
+libuv v0.11.11 onwards also added a ``uv_key_t`` struct and api_ for
+thread-local storage.
+.. _api: http://docs.libuv.org/en/v1.x/threading.html#thread-local-storage
+libuv work queue
+----------------
+``uv_queue_work()`` is a convenience function that allows an application to run
+a task in a separate thread, and have a callback that is triggered when the
+task is done. A seemingly simple function, what makes ``uv_queue_work()``
+tempting is that it allows potentially any third-party libraries to be used
+with the event-loop paradigm. When you use event loops, it is *imperative to
+make sure that no function which runs periodically in the loop thread blocks
+when performing I/O or is a serious CPU hog*, because this means that the loop
+slows down and events are not being handled at full capacity.
+However, a lot of existing code out there features blocking functions (for example
+a routine which performs I/O under the hood) to be used with threads if you
+want responsiveness (the classic 'one thread per client' server model), and
+getting them to play with an event loop library generally involves rolling your
+own system of running the task in a separate thread.  libuv just provides
+a convenient abstraction for this.
+Here is a simple example inspired by `node.js is cancer`_. We are going to
+calculate fibonacci numbers, sleeping a bit along the way, but run it in
+a separate thread so that the blocking and CPU bound task does not prevent the
+event loop from performing other activities.
+.. rubric:: queue-work/main.c - lazy fibonacci
+.. literalinclude:: ../../code/queue-work/main.c
+:language: c
+:linenos:
+:lines: 17-29
+The actual task function is simple, nothing to show that it is going to be
+run in a separate thread. The ``uv_work_t`` structure is the clue. You can pass
+arbitrary data through it using the ``void* data`` field and use it to
+communicate to and from the thread. But be sure you are using proper locks if
+you are changing things while both threads may be running.
+The trigger is ``uv_queue_work``:
+.. rubric:: queue-work/main.c
+.. literalinclude:: ../../code/queue-work/main.c
+:language: c
+:linenos:
+:lines: 31-44
+:emphasize-lines: 10
+The thread function will be launched in a separate thread, passed the
+``uv_work_t`` structure and once the function returns, the *after* function
+will be called on the thread the event loop is running in. It will be passed
+the same structure.
+For writing wrappers to blocking libraries, a common :ref:`pattern <baton>`
+is to use a baton to exchange data.
+Since libuv version `0.9.4` an additional function, ``uv_cancel()``, is
+available. This allows you to cancel tasks on the libuv work queue. Only tasks
+that *are yet to be started* can be cancelled. If a task has *already started
+executing, or it has finished executing*, ``uv_cancel()`` **will fail**.
+``uv_cancel()`` is useful to cleanup pending tasks if the user requests
+termination. For example, a music player may queue up multiple directories to
+be scanned for audio files. If the user terminates the program, it should quit
+quickly and not wait until all pending requests are run.
+Let's modify the fibonacci example to demonstrate ``uv_cancel()``. We first set
+up a signal handler for termination.
+.. rubric:: queue-cancel/main.c
+.. literalinclude:: ../../code/queue-cancel/main.c
+:language: c
+:linenos:
+:lines: 43-
+When the user triggers the signal by pressing ``Ctrl+C`` we send
+``uv_cancel()`` to all the workers. ``uv_cancel()`` will return ``0`` for those that are already executing or finished.
+.. rubric:: queue-cancel/main.c
+.. literalinclude:: ../../code/queue-cancel/main.c
+:language: c
+:linenos:
+:lines: 33-41
+:emphasize-lines: 6
+For tasks that do get cancelled successfully, the *after* function is called
+with ``status`` set to ``UV_ECANCELED``.
+.. rubric:: queue-cancel/main.c
+.. literalinclude:: ../../code/queue-cancel/main.c
+:language: c
+:linenos:
+:lines: 28-31
+:emphasize-lines: 2
+``uv_cancel()`` can also be used with ``uv_fs_t`` and ``uv_getaddrinfo_t``
+requests. For the filesystem family of functions, ``uv_fs_t.errorno`` will be
+set to ``UV_ECANCELED``.
+.. TIP::
+A well designed program would have a way to terminate long running workers
+that have already started executing. Such a worker could periodically check
+for a variable that only the main process sets to signal termination.
+.. _inter-thread-communication:
+Inter-thread communication
+--------------------------
+Sometimes you want various threads to actually send each other messages *while*
+they are running. For example you might be running some long duration task in
+a separate thread (perhaps using ``uv_queue_work``) but want to notify progress
+to the main thread. This is a simple example of having a download manager
+informing the user of the status of running downloads.
+.. rubric:: progress/main.c
+.. literalinclude:: ../../code/progress/main.c
+:language: c
+:linenos:
+:lines: 7-8,35-
+:emphasize-lines: 2,11
+The async thread communication works *on loops* so although any thread can be
+the message sender, only threads with libuv loops can be receivers (or rather
+the loop is the receiver). libuv will invoke the callback (``print_progress``)
+with the async watcher whenever it receives a message.
+.. warning::
+It is important to realize that since the message send is *async*, the callback
+may be invoked immediately after ``uv_async_send`` is called in another
+thread, or it may be invoked after some time. libuv may also combine
+multiple calls to ``uv_async_send`` and invoke your callback only once. The
+only guarantee that libuv makes is -- The callback function is called *at
+least once* after the call to ``uv_async_send``. If you have no pending
+calls to ``uv_async_send``, the callback won't be called. If you make two
+or more calls, and libuv hasn't had a chance to run the callback yet, it
+*may* invoke your callback *only once* for the multiple invocations of
+``uv_async_send``. Your callback will never be called twice for just one
+event.
+.. rubric:: progress/main.c
+.. literalinclude:: ../../code/progress/main.c
+:language: c
+:linenos:
+:lines: 10-24
+:emphasize-lines: 7-8
+In the download function, we modify the progress indicator and queue the message
+for delivery with ``uv_async_send``. Remember: ``uv_async_send`` is also
+non-blocking and will return immediately.
+.. rubric:: progress/main.c
+.. literalinclude:: ../../code/progress/main.c
+:language: c
+:linenos:
+:lines: 31-34
+The callback is a standard libuv pattern, extracting the data from the watcher.
+Finally it is important to remember to clean up the watcher.
+.. rubric:: progress/main.c
+.. literalinclude:: ../../code/progress/main.c
+:language: c
+:linenos:
+:lines: 26-29
+:emphasize-lines: 3
+After this example, which showed the abuse of the ``data`` field, bnoordhuis_
+pointed out that using the ``data`` field is not thread safe, and
+``uv_async_send()`` is actually only meant to wake up the event loop. Use
+a mutex or rwlock to ensure accesses are performed in the right order.
+.. note::
+mutexes and rwlocks **DO NOT** work inside a signal handler, whereas
+``uv_async_send`` does.
+One use case where ``uv_async_send`` is required is when interoperating with
+libraries that require thread affinity for their functionality. For example in
+node.js, a v8 engine instance, contexts and its objects are bound to the thread
+that the v8 instance was started in. Interacting with v8 data structures from
+another thread can lead to undefined results. Now consider some node.js module
+which binds a third party library. It may go something like this:
+1. In node, the third party library is set up with a JavaScript callback to be
+invoked for more information::
+var lib = require('lib');
+lib.on_progress(function() {
+console.log("Progress");
+});
+lib.do();
+// do other stuff
+2. ``lib.do`` is supposed to be non-blocking but the third party lib is
+blocking, so the binding uses ``uv_queue_work``.
+3. The actual work being done in a separate thread wants to invoke the progress
+callback, but cannot directly call into v8 to interact with JavaScript. So
+it uses ``uv_async_send``.
+4. The async callback, invoked in the main loop thread, which is the v8 thread,
+then interacts with v8 to invoke the JavaScript callback.
+----
+.. _node.js is cancer: http://widgetsandshit.com/teddziuba/2011/10/node-js-is-cancer.html
+.. _bnoordhuis: https://github.com/bnoordhuis

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