Identify and apply Java concurrency best practices to improve thread safety, scalability, and maintainability by using modern java.util.concurrent utilities and virtual threads.
What is covered in this Skill?
- Thread safety fundamentals:
ConcurrentHashMap,AtomicInteger,ReentrantLock,ReadWriteLock, Java Memory Model ExecutorServicethread pool configuration: sizing, keep-alive, bounded queues, rejection policies, graceful shutdown- Producer-Consumer and Publish-Subscribe patterns with
BlockingQueue CompletableFuturefor non-blocking async composition (thenApply/thenCompose/exceptionally/orTimeout)- Immutability and safe publication (
volatile, static initializers) - Lock contention and false-sharing performance optimization
- Virtual threads (
Executors.newVirtualThreadPerTaskExecutor()) for I/O-bound scalability - Structured Concurrency (
StructuredTaskScope) for related subtasks in Java 27 preview ScopedValueoverThreadLocalfor immutable cross-task data- Cooperative cancellation and
InterruptedExceptiondiscipline - Backpressure with bounded queues and
CallerRunsPolicy - Deadlock avoidance via global lock ordering and
tryLockwith timeouts - ForkJoin/parallel-stream discipline for CPU-bound work
- Virtual-thread pinning detection (JFR
VirtualThreadPinned) - Thread naming and
UncaughtExceptionHandlerobservability - Fit-for-purpose primitives:
LongAdder,CopyOnWriteArrayList,StampedLock,Semaphore,CountDownLatch,Phaser
Scope: The reference is organized by examples (good/bad code patterns) for each core area. Apply recommendations based on applicable examples.
Constraints
Before applying any concurrency changes, ensure the project compiles. If compilation fails, stop immediately — compilation failure is a blocking condition. After applying improvements, run full verification.
- MANDATORY: Run
./mvnw compileormvn compilebefore applying any change - SAFETY: If compilation fails, stop immediately — compilation failure is a blocking condition that prevents any further processing
- VERIFY: Run
./mvnw clean verifyormvn clean verifyafter applying improvements - BEFORE APPLYING: Read the reference for detailed good/bad examples, constraints, and safeguards for each concurrency pattern
When to use this skill
- Review Java code for concurrency
- Review Java code for thread safety
- Fix race conditions in Java concurrency code
- Choose ExecutorService or virtual threads in Java
- Improve synchronization and shared mutable state handling
- Apply structured concurrency for related Java subtasks
Workflow
- Compile project before concurrency changes
Run ./mvnw compile or mvn compile and stop immediately if compilation fails.
- Read concurrency reference and analyze hotspots
Read references/125-java-concurrency.md and identify thread-safety, coordination, and throughput issues to address.
- Apply concurrency improvements
Implement suitable concurrency patterns, structured task scopes where they fit related subtasks, cancellation discipline, and fit-for-purpose primitives.
- Verify with full build
Run ./mvnw clean verify or mvn clean verify after applying improvements.
Reference
For detailed guidance, examples, and constraints, see references/125-java-concurrency.md.