Difference Between Process and Threads in OS


Process vs. Threads

-Address space

  • Processes do not usually share memory
  • Process context switch page table and other memory mechanisms
  •  Threads in a process share the entire address space

- Privileges

  •  Processes have their own privileges (file accesses, e.g.)
  • Threads in a process share all privileges
In a Brief

Both threads and processes are methods of parallelizing an application. However, processes are independent execution units that contain their own state information, use their own address spaces, and only interact with each other via interprocess communication mechanisms (generally managed by the operating system). Applications are typically divided into processes during the design phase, and a master process explicitly spawns sub-processes when it makes sense to logically separate significant application functionality. Processes, in other words, are an architectural construct.

By contrast, a thread is a coding construct that doesn't affect the architecture of an application. A single process might contains multiple threads; all threads within a process share the same state and same memory space, and can communicate with each other directly, because they share the same variables.

Threads typically are spawned for a short-term benefit that is usually visualized as a serial task, but which doesn't have to be performed in a linear manner (such as performing a complex mathematical computation using parallelism, or initializing a large matrix), and then are absorbed when no longer required. The scope of a thread is within a specific code module—which is why we can bolt-on threading without affecting the broader application.

In simplest way

  • An application consists of one or more processes. A process, in the simplest terms, is an executing program. One or more threads run in the context of the process. A thread is the basic unit to which the operating system allocates processor time. A thread can execute any part of the process code, including parts currently being executed by another thread.
  • A job object allows groups of processes to be managed as a unit. Job objects are namable, securable, sharable objects that control attributes of the processes associated with them. Operations performed on the job object affect all processes associated with the job object.
  • A thread pool is a collection of worker threads that efficiently execute asynchronous callbacks on behalf of the application. The thread pool is primarily used to reduce the number of application threads and provide management of the worker thread


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