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javaconcurrencyatomic

Make an AtomicXXX object volatile

I have read some info about volatile variables and their AtomicXXX counterparts, (e.g. AtomicBoolean).

But are there situations where I need to make the AtomicXXX object itself volatile, or is it never necessary?

Solution

  • You don't need to - in fact, the atomic objects should really be set as final!!

    Example:

    private final AtomicInteger atomicInt = new AtomicInteger(0);

private volatile int volatileInt = 0;

public void doStuff() {
  // To use the atomic int, you use the setters and getters!
  int gotAnInt = atomicInt.getAndIncrement();

  // To use a volatile, access and set it directly. 
  int gotAnotherInt = volatileInt;
  volatileInt = someOtherInt;
}