---
title: "What is a Latch in Linux?"  
description: "What is a Latch in Linux?"  
author: "Mukul Goenka"  
published: 2022-04-15  
canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/96828/what-is-a-latch-in-linux  
category: "troubleshooting"  
tags: ["troubleshooting", "linux"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# What is a Latch in Linux?

What is a Latch in [Linux](https://www.mindstick.com/blog/11489/linux-os)?

## Answers

### Answer by Hitesh Vohra

- In the SGA, latches are low-level serialisation methods that preserve shared data structures. Latch implementation varies by operating system, particularly in terms of whether and how long a process will wait for a latch.
- A **latch** is a form of lock that may be obtained and unlocked rapidly. Latches are commonly used to prevent several processes from running the same code at the same time. A cleanup method is associated with each latch, and it will be called if a process dies while it is holding the latch. Latches have a level connected with them that is used to avoid deadlocks. Once a process obtains a latch at a specific level, it cannot acquire a latch at a level equal to or less than that level in the future (unless it acquires it nowait).

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**Read More: [Why is the tar command used?](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/96827/why-is-the-tar-command-used)**


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Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/96828/what-is-a-latch-in-linux

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