Everything About ___
Live briefing

Everything about Context switch

Switch between processes or tasks on a computer

In computing, a context switch is the process of storing the state of a process or thread, so that it can be restored and resume execution at a later point, and then restoring a different, previously saved, state. This allows multiple processes to share a single central processing unit (CPU) and is an essential feature of a multiprogramming or multitasking operating system. In a traditional CPU, each process – a program in execution – uses the various CPU registers to store data and hold the current state of the running process. However, in a multitasking operating system, the operating system switches between processes or threads to allow the execution of multiple processes simultaneously. For every switch, the operating system must save the state of the currently running process, followed by loading the next process state, which will run on the CPU. This sequence of operations that stores the state of the running process and loads the following running process is called a context switch. Wikipedia →

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

  1. Read the overview: Context switchA 5-minute orientation
  2. Skim a recent paper: A context-dependent switch from sensing to feeling in the primate amygdalaInfluential work since 2022
  3. Pick up a classic book: JavaScriptThe most-reprinted book on the subject
  4. Read the landmark paper: Context, attention, and the switch between habit and goal-direction in behaviorCited 107 times
  5. Go sideways: Interrupt handlerA closely related topic
  6. Go sideways: Operating systemA closely related topic

📖 Definitions

No dictionary entry for this exact phrase.

🗂️ The subject at a glance

  1. Cost
  2. Switching cases
  3. Steps
  4. Examples
  5. Performance

🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

🆕 Influential since 2022

📚 Books worth reading

Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.

🔗 Related topics