Java Academy · Lesson

Atomic & Concurrent Collections

Learn to use atomic variables and concurrent collections for thread safety.

Lesson 2 of 38 steps

Atomic & Concurrent Collections is a free Java Academy lesson on CoddyKit. This is lesson 2 of 3. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the Java Academy learning path, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app. The Java Academy course includes 3 lessons in total.

Intro

Atomic variables and concurrent collections simplify thread-safe programming.

AtomicInteger

AtomicInteger offers atomic increment, decrement, and compare-and-set operations.

Code: AtomicInteger

AtomicInteger ensures updates are thread-safe without explicit locks.

import java.util.concurrent.atomic.*;public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    AtomicInteger count = new AtomicInteger(0);
    Thread t1 = new Thread(() -> { for(int i=0;i<1000;i++) count.incrementAndGet(); });
    Thread t2 = new Thread(() -> { for(int i=0;i<1000;i++) count.incrementAndGet(); });
    t1.start(); t2.start();
    t1.join(); t2.join();
    System.out.println("Count = " + count.get());
  }
}

Concurrent collections

Concurrent collections like ConcurrentHashMap or CopyOnWriteArrayList handle concurrent access safely.

Code: ConcurrentHashMap

ConcurrentHashMap allows safe concurrent writes and reads.

import java.util.concurrent.*;public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    ConcurrentHashMap<String, Integer> map = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
    Thread t1 = new Thread(() -> { map.put("A", 1); });
    Thread t2 = new Thread(() -> { map.put("B", 2); });
    t1.start(); t2.start();
    t1.join(); t2.join();
    System.out.println(map);
  }
}

Code: CopyOnWriteArrayList

CopyOnWriteArrayList avoids ConcurrentModificationException during iteration.

import java.util.concurrent.*;public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    CopyOnWriteArrayList<String> list = new CopyOnWriteArrayList<>();
    list.add("Hello");
    list.add("World");
    for(String s : list) {
      list.add("Extra"); // safe even during iteration
      System.out.println(s);
    }
  }
}

Atomic/Concurrent check

Quick check: Why use an AtomicInteger instead of a normal int with multiple threads?

Answer it in the interactive lesson

Recap

Recap: Use atomic classes for thread-safe counters and concurrent collections for safe shared data structures.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the “Atomic & Concurrent Collections” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “Atomic & Concurrent Collections” is free to read here on the web. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the Java Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO. The Java Academy course includes 3 lessons in total.

What will I learn in “Atomic & Concurrent Collections”?

Learn to use atomic variables and concurrent collections for thread safety. You practise Java Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start Java Academy?

No prior experience is required. Java Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace. This is lesson 2 of 3.

How long does the “Atomic & Concurrent Collections” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this Java Academy lesson?

Yes. Every Java Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

All lessons in this course

Synchronization & Locks
Atomic & Concurrent Collections
Common Concurrency Bugs

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