Pithikos/C-Thread-Pool
FreeA minimal but powerful thread pool in ANSI C
FreeFree tier
About Pithikos/C-Thread-Pool
C-Thread-Pool is a minimal but advanced thread pool library implemented in ANSI C, fully compliant with POSIX threads. It provides a simple and easy-to-digest API for creating thread pools, adding work, waiting for completion, pausing/resuming execution, and querying the number of working threads. The library is well-tested, released under the MIT license, and designed for lightweight integration into any C project requiring efficient concurrent task management.
Key Features
Minimal and advanced thread pool implementation
ANSI C and POSIX compliant
Pause, resume, and wait functionality
Simple and easy-to-digest API
Well-tested with coverage of fixes and features
MIT licensed for free commercial use
Lightweight and easy integration
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Very minimal and focused implementation
- POSIX compliant, portable on Unix-like systems
- Simple API with only a few functions
- Includes pause/resume capabilities not commonly found in minimal pools
- Well-tested and actively maintained
- MIT license allows free use in commercial projects
Cons
- Requires POSIX threads environment (not natively supported on Windows without compatibility layers)
- Not precompiled; must be compiled with the project
- Limited to C (no direct C++ wrappers provided)
- No built-in load balancing or thread reuse policies beyond basic pool
Best For
Parallel task execution in C programsManaging worker threads for concurrent processingBackground job scheduling in server or embedded applicationsLearning and prototyping thread pool patterns in C