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Threads always preserve class invariants when they are allowed to exit normally. Programmers often try attempt to terminate threads abruptly when they believe that the task is accomplishedcomplete, the request has been canceled, or the program or JVM needs to quickly Java Virtual Machine (JVM) must shut down expeditiously.

A few Certain thread APIs were introduced to facilitate thread suspension, resumption, and termination but were later deprecated because of inherent design weaknesses. For example, the Thread.stop() method causes the thread to immediately throw a ThreadDeath exception, which usually stops the thread. More information about deprecated methods is available in MET02-J. Do not use deprecated or obsolete classes or methods.

Invoking Wiki MarkupInvoking {{Thread.stop()}} results in the release of all the locks a thread has acquired, which may corrupt the state of the object. The thread could catch the {{ThreadDeath}} exception and use a {{finally}} block in an attempt to repair the inconsistent object. However, this requires careful inspection of all the synchronized methods and blocks because a {{ThreadDeath}} exception can be thrown at any point during the thread's execution. Furthermore, code must be protected from {{ThreadDeath}} exceptions that may result when executing {{catch}} or {{finally}} blocks \[[Sun 1999|AA. Java References#Sun 99]\].potentially exposing the objects protected by those locks when those objects are in an inconsistent state. The thread might catch the ThreadDeath exception and use a finally block in an attempt to repair the inconsistent object or objects. However, doing so requires careful inspection of all synchronized methods and blocks because a ThreadDeath exception can be thrown at any point during the thread's execution. Furthermore, code must be protected from ThreadDeath exceptions that might occur while executing catch or finally blocks [Sun 1999]. Consequently, programs must not invoke Thread.stop().

Removing the java.lang.RuntimePermission stopThread permission from the security policy file prevents threads from being stopped using the Thread.stop() method. Although this approach guarantees that the program cannot use the Thread.stop() method, it is nevertheless strongly discouraged. Existing trusted, custom-developed code that uses the Thread.stop() method presumably depends on the ability of the system to perform this action. Furthermore, the system might fail to correctly handle the resulting security exception. Additionally, third-party libraries may also depend on use of the Thread.stop() method.

Refer to ERR09-J. Do not allow untrusted code to terminate the JVM More information about deprecated methods is available in guideline MET15-J. Do not use deprecated or obsolete methods. Also, refer to guideline EXC09-J. Prevent inadvertent calls to System.exit() or forced shutdown for information on preventing data corruption when the JVM is abruptly shut down abruptly.

Noncompliant Code Example (Deprecated Thread.stop())

This noncompliant code example shows a thread that fills a vector with pseudo-random pseudorandom numbers. The thread is forcefully stopped after a given amount of time.

public final class Container implements Runnable {
  private final Vector<Integer> vector = new Vector<Integer>(1000);

  public Vector<Integer> getVector() {
    return vector;
  }

  @Override public synchronized void run() {
    Random number = new Random(123L);
    int i = vector.capacity();
    while (i > 0) {
      vector.add(number.nextInt(100));
      i--;
    }
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) throws InterruptedException {
    Thread thread = new Thread(new Container());
    thread.start();
    Thread.sleep(5000);
    thread.stop();
  }
}

Because the Vector class is thread-safe, operations performed by multiple threads on its shared instance are expected to leave it in a consistent state. For instance, the Vector.size() method always returns the correct number of elements in the vector, even in the face of after concurrent changes to the vector. This is , because the vector instance uses its own intrinsic lock to prevent other threads from accessing it while its state is temporarily inconsistent.

Wiki MarkupHowever, the {{Thread.stop()}} method causes the thread to stop what it is doing and throw a {{ThreadDeath}} exception. All acquired locks are subsequently released \[ [API 2006|AA. Java References#API 06]\2014]. If the thread is were in the process of adding a new integer to the vector when it is was stopped, the vector may would become accessible while it is in an inconsistent state. This can result in {{For example, this could result in Vector.size()}} returning an incorrect element count , for example, because the element count is incremented after adding the element.

Compliant Solution (volatile flag)

This compliant solution uses a volatile flag to terminate the request thread termination. The shutdown() accessor method is used to set the flag to true. The thread's run() method polls the done flag and terminates when it becomes trueis set.

public final class Container implements Runnable {
  private final Vector<Integer> vector = new Vector<Integer>(1000);
  private volatile boolean done = false;

  public Vector<Integer> getVector() {
    return vector;
  }

  public void shutdown() {
    done = true;
  }

  @Override public synchronized void run() {
    Random number = new Random(123L);
    int i = vector.capacity();
    while (!done && i > 0) {
      vector.add(number.nextInt(100));
      i--;
    }
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) throws InterruptedException {
    Container container = new Container();
    Thread thread = new Thread(container);
    thread.start();
    Thread.sleep(5000);
    container.shutdown();
  }
}

...

In this compliant solution, the Thread.interrupt() method is called from main() to terminate the thread. Invoking Thread.interrupt() sets an internal interrupt status flag. The thread polls that flag using the Thread.interrupted() method, which both returns true if the current thread has been interrupted and clears the interrupt status flag.

public final class Container implements Runnable {
  private final Vector<Integer> vector = new Vector<Integer>(1000);

  public Vector<Integer> getVector() {
    return vector;
  }

  @Override public synchronized void run() {
    Random number = new Random(123L);
    int i = vector.capacity();
    while (!Thread.interrupted() && i > 0) {
      vector.add(number.nextInt(100));
      i--;
    }
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) throws InterruptedException {
    Container c = new Container();
    Thread thread = new Thread(c);
    thread.start();
    Thread.sleep(5000);
    thread.interrupt();
  }
}

A thread may use interruption for performing tasks other than cancellation and shutdown. Consequently, a thread should not be interrupted unless only when its interruption policy is known in advance. Failure to do so can result in failed interruption requests.

Compliant Solution (Runtime Permission stopThread)

Removing the default permission java.lang.RuntimePermission stopThread permission from the security policy file prevents threads from being stopped using the Thread.stop() method. This approach is not recommended for trusted, custom-developed code that uses that method because the existing design presumably depends upon the ability of the system to perform this action. Furthermore, the system may not be designed to properly handle the resulting exception. In these cases, it is preferable to implement an alternate design approach corresponding to another compliant solutions described in this guideline.

Risk Assessment

Forcing a thread to stop can result in inconsistent object state. Critical resources may could also leak if clean-up cleanup operations are not carried out as required.

References

\[[API 2006|AA. Java References#API 06]\] Class Thread, method {{stop}}, interface ExecutorService
\[[Sun 1999|AA. Java References#Sun 99]\]
\[[Darwin 2004|AA. Java References#Darwin 04]\] 24.3 Stopping a Thread
\[[JDK7 2008|AA. Java References#JDK7 08]\] Concurrency Utilities, More information: Java Thread Primitive Deprecation
\[[JPL 2006|AA. Java References#JPL 06]\] 14.12.1. Don't stop and 23.3.3. Shutdown Strategies
\[[JavaThreads 2004|AA. Java References#JavaThreads 04]\] 2.4 Two Approaches to Stopping a Thread
\[[Goetz 2006|AA. Java References#Goetz 06]\] Chapter 7: Cancellation and shutdown

Automated Detection

Related Guidelines

Android Implementation Details

On Android, Thread.stop() was deprecated in API level 1.

Bibliography

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Image Added Image Added Image AddedTHI04-J. Notify all waiting threads instead of a single thread      12. Locking (LCK)      LCK09-J. Do not perform operations that may block while holding a lock