In Java, a thread is a lightweight sub-process, the smallest unit of processing. It is a separate path of execution. Threads are independent, if there occurs exception in one thread, it doesn't affect other threads. It shares a common memory area.
- Platform threads are managed by the operating system. They are heavyweight, consuming more resources and having a higher context-switching cost. The
java.lang.Threadclass in Java represents a platform thread.
- Virtual threads are managed by the runtime or a library, not by the operating system. They are lightweight, consuming fewer resources and having a lower context-switching cost. Virtual threads can be mapped to a smaller set of platform threads, allowing a large number of virtual threads to be run concurrently. Virtual threads are a part of Project Loom in Java, which is not yet part of any official Java release as of JDK 17.
curl --location 'http://localhost:8080/spring-boot-virtual-threads/api/v1/products'
create database virtual_db;
use virtual_db;
CREATE TABLE Product (
product_key INT PRIMARY KEY,
product_name VARCHAR(50),
product_description VARCHAR(50),
product_price double
);
INSERT INTO Product (product_key, product_name, product_description, product_price)
VALUES
(1, 'Product 1', 'Description 1', 10.50),
(2, 'Product 2', 'Description 2', 20.00),
(3, 'Product 3', 'Description 3', 15.75),
(4, 'Product 4', 'Description 4', 16.25),
(5, 'Product 5', 'Description 5', 18.00),
(6, 'Product 6', 'Description 6', 22.75),
(7, 'Product 7', 'Description 7', 12.99),
(8, 'Product 8', 'Description 8', 24.50),
(9, 'Product 9', 'Description 9', 14.75),
(10, 'Product 10', 'Description 10', 30.00);
The application is configured with the following settings:
- Server context path:
/spring-boot-virtual-threads - Server port:
your_port_number - Application name:
spring-boot-virtual-threads - Database driver class name:
com.mysql.cj.jdbc.Driver - Database URL:
jdbc:mysql://localhost:your_port_number/your_db_name - Database username:
your-username - Database password:
your-password - Hibernate show SQL:
true - Hibernate dialect:
org.hibernate.dialect.MySQLDialect - Virtual threads enabled:
true
Project Loom is an ongoing project in the OpenJDK community with the goal of making it easier to write, debug, profile, and maintain concurrent applications meeting today's requirements. Project Loom introduces the concept of "virtual threads" that are managed by the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) rather than the operating system. Virtual threads, also known as "fibers", are lightweight and are meant to make concurrent programming more accessible to developers by making it as straightforward as writing sequential code. Key features of Project Loom include:
- Virtual Threads: Unlike traditional OS threads, virtual threads are lightweight and cheap to create. You can have millions of virtual threads in a single JVM, which would not be possible with OS threads due to resource limitations.
- Simplified Concurrency: With virtual threads, developers can write concurrent applications using a simple, straightforward programming model. You can use the same Thread API to create and manage virtual threads, and you don't have to deal with callbacks or complex synchronization primitives.
- Efficient Blocking: Virtual threads are designed to block efficiently. When a virtual thread is blocked (for example, waiting for data from a network or a database), it doesn't consume any OS thread resources. This makes it possible to have a large number of concurrently blocking virtual threads.
- Improved Debugging and Monitoring: Project Loom aims to provide better tools for debugging and monitoring concurrent applications. With virtual threads, stack traces are cleaner and easier to understand, and monitoring tools can provide more useful information about the state of your application.
Please note that as of now, Project Loom is still in the experimental stage and is not yet included in any official Java release.
To run the application, use the following command:
mvn spring-boot:run