What is the Difference Between Deadlock and Starvation?

Deadlock and starvation are both conditions that can occur in concurrent processing systems, but they have different characteristics and implications:

Deadlock:

1. Occurs when each process holds a resource and waits for another resource held by any other process.
2. All processes keep waiting for each other to complete, and none get executed.
3. Necessary conditions for deadlock to occur are Mutual Exclusion, Hold and Wait, No Preemption, and Circular Wait.
4. Also known as Circular Wait.
5. In a deadlock, processes are unable to access resources because every process is waiting for some other process to release a resource.

Starvation:

1. Occurs when high-priority processes constantly consume resources, preventing low-priority processes from acquiring resources.
2. Low-priority processes may wait indefinitely for a required resource.
3. Resources are continuously utilized by high-priority processes.
4. Also known as Lived Lock.
5. In starvation, processes with lower priorities may be unable to access resources because high-priority processes keep executing.

In summary, deadlock is a situation where all processes are holding one resource each while waiting for another process to acquire a different resource, leading to none of the processes being executed. On the other hand, starvation is a situation that prevents low-priority processes from acquiring resources due to the continuous consumption of resources by high-priority processes.

Comparative Table: Deadlock vs Starvation

Here is a table comparing the differences between deadlock and starvation:

In summary, deadlock occurs when multiple processes are stuck waiting for each other to release a resource, while starvation occurs when high-priority processes continuously consume resources, preventing low-priority processes from acquiring resources. Deadlock is a form of circular wait, while starvation is a form of live lock.