Answer
Memory barriers prevent reordering and enforce visibility guarantees across threads. They are essential in lock-free algorithms.
Quick Answer
A memory barrier prevents the CPU and compiler from reordering instructions across it. Without barriers, one thread might write data in a different order than you expect, and another thread reads it in that wrong order. The lock keyword implicitly adds full memory barriers on entry and exit.
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SugharaIQ Editorial Team
Verified Answer
This answer has been peer-reviewed by industry experts holding senior engineering roles to ensure technical accuracy and relevance for modern interview standards.
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Source: SugharaIQ