BENEFITS OF MULTI-THREADED PROCESS

Multi-threaded programs can improve performance compared to traditional parallel programs that use multiple processes. Furthermore, improved performance can be obtained on multiprocessor systems using threads.

Managing Threads

Managing threads; that is, creating threads and controlling their execution, requires fewer system resources than managing processes. Creating a thread, for example, only requires the allocation of the thread's private data area, usually 64 KB, and two system calls. Creating a process is far more expensive, because the entire parent process addressing space is duplicated.
The threads library API is also easier to use than the library for managing processes. Thread creation requires only the pthread_create subroutine.

Inter-Thread Communications

Inter-thread communication is far more efficient and easier to use than inter-process communication. Because all threads within a process share the same address space, they need not use shared memory. Protect shared data from concurrent access by using mutexes or other synchronization tools.
Synchronization facilities provided by the threads library ease implementation of flexible and powerful synchronization tools. These tools can replace traditional inter-process communication facilities, such as message queues. Pipes can be used as an inter-thread communication path.

Multiprocessor Systems

On a multiprocessor system, multiple threads can concurrently run on multiple CPUs. Therefore, multi-threaded programs can run much faster than on a uniprocessor system. They can also be faster than a program using multiple processes, because threads require fewer resources and generate less overhead. For example, switching threads in the same process can be faster, especially in the M:N library model where context switches can often be avoided. Finally, a major advantage of using threads is that a single multi-threaded program will work on a uniprocessor system, but can naturally take advantage of a multiprocessor system, without recompiling.

Limitations

Multi-threaded programming is useful for implementing parallelized algorithms using several independent entities. However, there are some cases where multiple processes should be used instead of multiple threads.
Many operating system identifiers, resources, states, or limitations are defined at the process level and, thus, are shared by all threads in a process. For example, user and group IDs and their associated permissions are handled at process level. Programs that need to assign different user IDs to their programming entities need to use multiple processes, instead of a single multi-threaded process. Other examples include file-system attributes, such as the current working directory, and the state and maximum number of open files. Multi-threaded programs may not be appropriate if these attributes are better handled independently. For example, a multi-processed program can let each process open a large number of files without interference from other processes.