Baeldung Pro – NPI EA (cat = Baeldung)
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Baeldung Pro comes with both absolutely No-Ads as well as finally with Dark Mode, for a clean learning experience:

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Once the early-adopter seats are all used, the price will go up and stay at $33/year.

Partner – Microsoft – NPI EA (cat = Baeldung)
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Azure Container Apps is a fully managed serverless container service that enables you to build and deploy modern, cloud-native Java applications and microservices at scale. It offers a simplified developer experience while providing the flexibility and portability of containers.

Of course, Azure Container Apps has really solid support for our ecosystem, from a number of build options, managed Java components, native metrics, dynamic logger, and quite a bit more.

To learn more about Java features on Azure Container Apps, visit the documentation page.

You can also ask questions and leave feedback on the Azure Container Apps GitHub page.

Partner – Microsoft – NPI EA (cat= Spring Boot)
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Azure Container Apps is a fully managed serverless container service that enables you to build and deploy modern, cloud-native Java applications and microservices at scale. It offers a simplified developer experience while providing the flexibility and portability of containers.

Of course, Azure Container Apps has really solid support for our ecosystem, from a number of build options, managed Java components, native metrics, dynamic logger, and quite a bit more.

To learn more about Java features on Azure Container Apps, you can get started over on the documentation page.

And, you can also ask questions and leave feedback on the Azure Container Apps GitHub page.

Partner – Orkes – NPI EA (cat=Spring)
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Modern software architecture is often broken. Slow delivery leads to missed opportunities, innovation is stalled due to architectural complexities, and engineering resources are exceedingly expensive.

Orkes is the leading workflow orchestration platform built to enable teams to transform the way they develop, connect, and deploy applications, microservices, AI agents, and more.

With Orkes Conductor managed through Orkes Cloud, developers can focus on building mission critical applications without worrying about infrastructure maintenance to meet goals and, simply put, taking new products live faster and reducing total cost of ownership.

Try a 14-Day Free Trial of Orkes Conductor today.

Partner – Orkes – NPI EA (tag=Microservices)
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Modern software architecture is often broken. Slow delivery leads to missed opportunities, innovation is stalled due to architectural complexities, and engineering resources are exceedingly expensive.

Orkes is the leading workflow orchestration platform built to enable teams to transform the way they develop, connect, and deploy applications, microservices, AI agents, and more.

With Orkes Conductor managed through Orkes Cloud, developers can focus on building mission critical applications without worrying about infrastructure maintenance to meet goals and, simply put, taking new products live faster and reducing total cost of ownership.

Try a 14-Day Free Trial of Orkes Conductor today.

eBook – Guide Spring Cloud – NPI EA (cat=Spring Cloud)
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Let's get started with a Microservice Architecture with Spring Cloud:

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eBook – Mockito – NPI EA (tag = Mockito)
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Mocking is an essential part of unit testing, and the Mockito library makes it easy to write clean and intuitive unit tests for your Java code.

Get started with mocking and improve your application tests using our Mockito guide:

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eBook – Java Concurrency – NPI EA (cat=Java Concurrency)
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Handling concurrency in an application can be a tricky process with many potential pitfalls. A solid grasp of the fundamentals will go a long way to help minimize these issues.

Get started with understanding multi-threaded applications with our Java Concurrency guide:

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eBook – Reactive – NPI EA (cat=Reactive)
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Spring 5 added support for reactive programming with the Spring WebFlux module, which has been improved upon ever since. Get started with the Reactor project basics and reactive programming in Spring Boot:

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eBook – Java Streams – NPI EA (cat=Java Streams)
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Since its introduction in Java 8, the Stream API has become a staple of Java development. The basic operations like iterating, filtering, mapping sequences of elements are deceptively simple to use.

But these can also be overused and fall into some common pitfalls.

To get a better understanding on how Streams work and how to combine them with other language features, check out our guide to Java Streams:

>> Join Pro and download the eBook

eBook – Jackson – NPI EA (cat=Jackson)
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Do JSON right with Jackson

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eBook – HTTP Client – NPI EA (cat=Http Client-Side)
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Get the most out of the Apache HTTP Client

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eBook – Maven – NPI EA (cat = Maven)
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Get Started with Apache Maven:

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eBook – Persistence – NPI EA (cat=Persistence)
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Working on getting your persistence layer right with Spring?

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eBook – RwS – NPI EA (cat=Spring MVC)
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Building a REST API with Spring?

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Course – LS – NPI EA (cat=Jackson)
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Get started with Spring and Spring Boot, through the Learn Spring course:

>> LEARN SPRING
Course – RWSB – NPI EA (cat=REST)
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Explore Spring Boot 3 and Spring 6 in-depth through building a full REST API with the framework:

>> The New “REST With Spring Boot”

Course – LSS – NPI EA (cat=Spring Security)
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Yes, Spring Security can be complex, from the more advanced functionality within the Core to the deep OAuth support in the framework.

I built the security material as two full courses - Core and OAuth, to get practical with these more complex scenarios. We explore when and how to use each feature and code through it on the backing project.

You can explore the course here:

>> Learn Spring Security

Course – All Access – NPI EA (cat= Spring)
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All Access is finally out, with all of my Spring courses. Learn JUnit is out as well, and Learn Maven is coming fast. And, of course, quite a bit more affordable. Finally.

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Course – LSD – NPI EA (tag=Spring Data JPA)
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Spring Data JPA is a great way to handle the complexity of JPA with the powerful simplicity of Spring Boot.

Get started with Spring Data JPA through the guided reference course:

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Partner – LambdaTest – NPI EA (cat=Testing)
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End-to-end testing is a very useful method to make sure that your application works as intended. This highlights issues in the overall functionality of the software, that the unit and integration test stages may miss.

Playwright is an easy-to-use, but powerful tool that automates end-to-end testing, and supports all modern browsers and platforms.

When coupled with LambdaTest (an AI-powered cloud-based test execution platform) it can be further scaled to run the Playwright scripts in parallel across 3000+ browser and device combinations:

>> Automated End-to-End Testing With Playwright

Course – Spring Sale 2025 – NPI EA (cat= Baeldung)
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Yes, we're now running our Spring Sale. All Courses are 25% off until 26th May, 2025:

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Course – Spring Sale 2025 – NPI (cat=Baeldung)
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Yes, we're now running our Spring Sale. All Courses are 25% off until 26th May, 2025:

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eBook – Java Concurrency – NPI (cat=Java Concurrency)
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Handling concurrency in an application can be a tricky process with many potential pitfalls. A solid grasp of the fundamentals will go a long way to help minimize these issues.

Get started with understanding multi-threaded applications with our Java Concurrency guide:

>> Download the eBook

1. Introduction

In this tutorial, we’ll compare CyclicBarrier and CountDownLatch and try to understand the similarities and differences between the two.

2. What Are These?

When it comes to concurrency, it can be challenging to conceptualize what each is intended to accomplish.

First and foremost, both CountDownLatch and CyclicBarrier are used for managing multi-threaded applications.

And, they are both intended to express how a given thread or group of threads should wait.

2.1. CountDownLatch

CountDownLatch is a construct that a thread waits on while other threads count down on the latch until it reaches zero.

We can think of this like a dish at a restaurant that is being prepared. No matter which cook prepares however many of the items, the waiter must wait until all the items are on the plate. If a plate takes items, any cook will count down on the latch for each item she puts on the plate.

2.2. CyclicBarrier

CyclicBarrier is a reusable construct where a group of threads waits together until all of the threads arrive. At that point, the barrier is broken and an action can optionally be taken.

We can think of this like a group of friends. Every time they plan to eat at a restaurant they decide a common point where they can meet. They wait for each other there, and only when everyone arrives can they go to the restaurant to eat together.

2.3. Further Reading

And for a lot more detail on each of these individually, refer to our previous tutorials on CountDownLatch and CyclicBarrier respectively.

3. Tasks vs. Threads

Let’s take a deeper dive into some of the semantic differences between these two classes.

As stated in the definitions, CyclicBarrier allows a number of threads to wait on each other, whereas CountDownLatch allows one or more threads to wait for a number of tasks to complete.

In short, CyclicBarrier maintains a count of threads whereas CountDownLatch maintains a count of tasks.

In the following code, we define a CountDownLatch with a count of two. Next, we call countDown() twice from a single thread:

CountDownLatch countDownLatch = new CountDownLatch(2);
Thread t = new Thread(() -> {
    countDownLatch.countDown();
    countDownLatch.countDown();
});
t.start();
countDownLatch.await();

assertEquals(0, countDownLatch.getCount());

Once the latch reaches zero, the call to await returns.

Note that in this case, we were able to have the same thread decrease the count twice.

CyclicBarrier, though, is different on this point.

Similar to the above example, we create a CyclicBarrier, again with a count of two and call await() on it, this time from the same thread:

CyclicBarrier cyclicBarrier = new CyclicBarrier(2);
Thread t = new Thread(() -> {
    try {
        cyclicBarrier.await();
        cyclicBarrier.await();    
    } catch (InterruptedException | BrokenBarrierException e) {
        // error handling
    }
});
t.start();

assertEquals(1, cyclicBarrier.getNumberWaiting());
assertFalse(cyclicBarrier.isBroken());

The first difference here is that the threads that are waiting are themselves the barrier.

Second, and more importantly, the second await() is useless. A single thread can’t count down a barrier twice.

Indeed, because t must wait for another thread to call await() – to bring the count to two – t‘s second call to await() won’t actually be invoked until the barrier is already broken!

In our test, the barrier hasn’t been crossed because we only have one thread waiting and not the two threads that would be required for the barrier to be tripped. This is also evident from the cyclicBarrier.isBroken() method, which returns false.

4. Reusability

The second most evident difference between these two classes is reusability. To elaborate, when the barrier trips in CyclicBarrier, the count resets to its original value. CountDownLatch is different because the count never resets.

In the given code, we define a CountDownLatch with count 7 and count it through 20 different calls:

CountDownLatch countDownLatch = new CountDownLatch(7);
ExecutorService es = Executors.newFixedThreadPool(20);
for (int i = 0; i < 20; i++) {
    es.execute(() -> {
        long prevValue = countDownLatch.getCount();
        countDownLatch.countDown();
        if (countDownLatch.getCount() != prevValue) {
            outputScraper.add("Count Updated");
        }
    }); 
} 
es.shutdown();

assertTrue(outputScraper.size() <= 7);

We observe that even though 20 different threads call countDown(), the count doesn’t reset once it reaches zero.

Similar to the above example, we define a CyclicBarrier with count 7 and wait on it from 20 different threads:

CyclicBarrier cyclicBarrier = new CyclicBarrier(7);

ExecutorService es = Executors.newFixedThreadPool(20);
for (int i = 0; i < 20; i++) {
    es.execute(() -> {
        try {
            if (cyclicBarrier.getNumberWaiting() <= 0) {
                outputScraper.add("Count Updated");
            }
            cyclicBarrier.await();
        } catch (InterruptedException | BrokenBarrierException e) {
            // error handling
        }
    });
}
es.shutdown();

assertTrue(outputScraper.size() > 7);

In this case, we observe that the value decreases every time a new thread runs, by resetting to the original value, once it reaches zero.

5. Conclusion

All in all, CyclicBarrier and CountDownLatch are both helpful tools for synchronization between multiple threads. However, they are fundamentally different in terms of the functionality they provide. Consider each carefully when determining which is right for the job.

The code backing this article is available on GitHub. Once you're logged in as a Baeldung Pro Member, start learning and coding on the project.
Baeldung Pro – NPI EA (cat = Baeldung)
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Baeldung Pro comes with both absolutely No-Ads as well as finally with Dark Mode, for a clean learning experience:

>> Explore a clean Baeldung

Once the early-adopter seats are all used, the price will go up and stay at $33/year.

Partner – Microsoft – NPI EA (cat = Spring Boot)
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Azure Container Apps is a fully managed serverless container service that enables you to build and deploy modern, cloud-native Java applications and microservices at scale. It offers a simplified developer experience while providing the flexibility and portability of containers.

Of course, Azure Container Apps has really solid support for our ecosystem, from a number of build options, managed Java components, native metrics, dynamic logger, and quite a bit more.

To learn more about Java features on Azure Container Apps, visit the documentation page.

You can also ask questions and leave feedback on the Azure Container Apps GitHub page.

Partner – Orkes – NPI EA (cat = Spring)
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Modern software architecture is often broken. Slow delivery leads to missed opportunities, innovation is stalled due to architectural complexities, and engineering resources are exceedingly expensive.

Orkes is the leading workflow orchestration platform built to enable teams to transform the way they develop, connect, and deploy applications, microservices, AI agents, and more.

With Orkes Conductor managed through Orkes Cloud, developers can focus on building mission critical applications without worrying about infrastructure maintenance to meet goals and, simply put, taking new products live faster and reducing total cost of ownership.

Try a 14-Day Free Trial of Orkes Conductor today.

Partner – Orkes – NPI EA (tag = Microservices)
announcement - icon

Modern software architecture is often broken. Slow delivery leads to missed opportunities, innovation is stalled due to architectural complexities, and engineering resources are exceedingly expensive.

Orkes is the leading workflow orchestration platform built to enable teams to transform the way they develop, connect, and deploy applications, microservices, AI agents, and more.

With Orkes Conductor managed through Orkes Cloud, developers can focus on building mission critical applications without worrying about infrastructure maintenance to meet goals and, simply put, taking new products live faster and reducing total cost of ownership.

Try a 14-Day Free Trial of Orkes Conductor today.

eBook – HTTP Client – NPI EA (cat=HTTP Client-Side)
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The Apache HTTP Client is a very robust library, suitable for both simple and advanced use cases when testing HTTP endpoints. Check out our guide covering basic request and response handling, as well as security, cookies, timeouts, and more:

>> Download the eBook

eBook – Java Concurrency – NPI EA (cat=Java Concurrency)
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Handling concurrency in an application can be a tricky process with many potential pitfalls. A solid grasp of the fundamentals will go a long way to help minimize these issues.

Get started with understanding multi-threaded applications with our Java Concurrency guide:

>> Download the eBook

eBook – Java Streams – NPI EA (cat=Java Streams)
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Since its introduction in Java 8, the Stream API has become a staple of Java development. The basic operations like iterating, filtering, mapping sequences of elements are deceptively simple to use.

But these can also be overused and fall into some common pitfalls.

To get a better understanding on how Streams work and how to combine them with other language features, check out our guide to Java Streams:

>> Join Pro and download the eBook

eBook – Persistence – NPI EA (cat=Persistence)
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Working on getting your persistence layer right with Spring?

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Course – LS – NPI EA (cat=REST)

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Get started with Spring Boot and with core Spring, through the Learn Spring course:

>> CHECK OUT THE COURSE

Course – Spring Sale 2025 – NPI EA (cat= Baeldung)
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Yes, we're now running our Spring Sale. All Courses are 25% off until 26th May, 2025:

>> EXPLORE ACCESS NOW

Course – Spring Sale 2025 – NPI (All)
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Yes, we're now running our Spring Sale. All Courses are 25% off until 26th May, 2025:

>> EXPLORE ACCESS NOW

eBook – Java Concurrency – NPI (cat=Java Concurrency)
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Handling concurrency in an application can be a tricky process with many potential pitfalls. A solid grasp of the fundamentals will go a long way to help minimize these issues.

Get started with understanding multi-threaded applications with our Java Concurrency guide:

>> Download the eBook

eBook Jackson – NPI EA – 3 (cat = Jackson)