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How do Java Thread Locals Work?

Naveen Metta
3 min readNov 20, 2024

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credit goes to the owner: https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/java-threadlocal-example
source: digitalocean.com

When we talk about multi-threading in Java, we mean doing more than one task at the same time. Imagine you are cooking and answering the phone at once — that’s like multi-threading in real life. In Java, threads are like the hands of a cook, each one doing a separate task.

But sometimes, each thread must have its own version of a value. Think about it like this: if you are cooking and the person you are speaking to on the phone is also cooking, both of you need separate spoons to taste your food, right? This is where Thread Local comes into play. It’s like giving each thread its own spoon.

What is Thread Local?

Thread Local is a way to give each thread its own storage space. It’s like having a box with your name on it where you can keep your stuff, and nobody else can touch it. In technical terms, it’s a container that holds data that’s only available to a specific thread.

When you use Thread Local, each thread can store its own data without worrying about what other threads are doing. It’s safe, and you don’t have to lock the data, because no other thread can access it.

How does it work?

In Java, a ThreadLocal object manages the thread-specific data. When you create a ThreadLocal variable, you are creating that personal space for…

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Naveen Metta
Naveen Metta

Written by Naveen Metta

I'm a Full Stack Developer with 3+ years of experience. feel free to reach out for any help : mettanaveen701@gmail.com

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