Starvation happens when a thread is ready to run but keeps getting denied the resources it needs. The system as a whole is making progress, but one unlucky thread is effectively ignored and may wait indefinitely.

This often shows up under contention, where aggressive threads repeatedly win locks, or where priority and scheduling policies favor some work over others.

In this chapter, we will break down the common causes of starvation, how to detect it, and how to prevent it.

What is Starvation?