Difference Between Process and Thread

Introduction

Many current computer science subjects, such as threads, need knowledge of the idea of a computer process, which is required for understanding other concepts such as parallel computing and concurrency.

The primary distinction between a process and a thread is analogous to preparing a shop for an impending sale: the work of preparing the whole store may be thought of as a process, whilst smaller, partially independent subtasks, such as arranging the various shelves, can be thought of as threading.

Even though this is a pretty abstract example, it serves as a good starting point before we get into the technical differences.

What exactly is Process?

Simply explained, a process is a job that the computer does according to the instructions in the programme file. A process is an entity that is really executing those instructions, while a programme is just a collection of instructions for the computer system. In formal terms:

A process is a representation of a computer programme in execution mode, complete with all the information needed for effective execution, such as the programme counter, CPU registers, activation status (new, running, waiting, ready), memory security and management information, and so on.

As a result, a process is a computer program's "digital incarnation." The following list summarises the distinctions between a process and a programme:

• A programme is represented by an executable file (.exe,.com, etc.) that merely includes the instruction code, while a process is represented by a Process Control Block.
• A process is stored in the computer's RAM, while a programme is stored in the form of files on storage media (internal or external).
• A programme is a passive entity with no associated lifespan, while a process is an active object with a lifecycle.
• When a process is terminated, it ceases to exist, while a programme must be erased from storage.

What exactly is Thread?

A thread is a collection of jobs in a process that may (or are designed to) operate independently of one another. A running word processor instance (such as MS Word) might be considered our process. Various subtasks, such as spell and grammar checking and auto-saving the file after a certain amount of time, are quite autonomous and well-focused among themselves, so we may allocate them to separate threads.

Please keep in mind that distinct threads are not necessarily allocated different jobs. There may be numerous threads doing the same task but on separate inputs, such as a server with multiple threads processing various client-side requests.

The benefits of multithreaded programming are many. They are briefly described as follows:

Different threads in programmes may make them more responsive, particularly in interactive applications. A thread may provide the result of its execution regardless of whether or not another thread was waiting for anything to happen, such as a server response.

Resources do not need to be allocated individually for each thread, which makes sense since all threads run under the same parent process and hence use the same code, data, and files. Thread creation, switching, termination, and inter-thread communication become quicker, lighter, and more efficient as a result, reducing the total cost of thread utilisation.

Threads in multithreaded programmes may span many cores, making them very scalable. We can break any very complicated programme into threads that can then execute on several cores of the CPU, giving it the same efficacy as a simpler application.

Comparison Table Between Process and Thread