Race Conditions - Practical Tools and Techniques for Testing, Preventing, and Debugging C++/C Code

Learn practical tools and techniques for testing, preventing, and debugging race conditions in C++/C code through this 31-minute conference talk from ACCU 2025. Discover how race conditions lurk in code whether you realize it or not, often escaping testing to emerge in production as difficult-to-track "Heisenbugs" that disappear when you add logging or attach a debugger. Explore both well-known and lesser-known tools and techniques through hands-on practical examples rather than theoretical slides. Master the introduction and advanced usage of Thread Sanitizer, Helgrind, and DRD for detecting race conditions. Learn how to maximize GDB's effectiveness with threaded programs and implement super-lightweight, lock-free logging with L3. Get introduced to thread fuzzing techniques and static analysis approaches for race condition detection. Gain valuable tips and tricks for testing race conditions and avoiding them during development. The presentation focuses heavily on practical demonstrations and real-world applications, providing actionable knowledge for C++ and C developers dealing with concurrent programming challenges.