https://blog.nelhage.com/post/rwlock-contention/Reader/reader blocking in reader/writer locksAbstract In writer-priority reader/writer locks, as soon as a single writer enters the acquisition queue, all future accesses block behind any in-flight reads. Thus, if any readers hold the lock for extended periods of time, this can lead to extreme pauses and loss of throughput given even a very small number of writers.
This phenomenon is well-known in certain systems engineering communities (e.g. among some kernel or database developers), but is often surprising when first encountered, and has important implications for the design of such systems.2019-05-07T15:00:00Zhttps://blog.nelhage.com/post/Nelson ElhageRecent content in Posts on Made of BugsPosts on Made of Bugs2026-09-11T01:37:06Zrss20false60Nelson Elhagenelson-elhage0"5b2ae9eec2e293572f6ae5a000bd0161-ssl-df"200utf-8