What is sync.Map and when should it be used instead of a regular map with Mutex?

sync.Map is a thread-safe implementation of a map in Go, optimized for scenarios with frequent read operations and infrequent writes. Unlike a regular map with a Mutex, it uses internal mechanisms to reduce locking during reads.

You should use sync.Map when:

• There are many concurrent reads and few writes.
• You cannot predetermine the keys or their number.

If you have many writes or complex update logic, a regular map with a Mutex might be more efficient and easier to understand.

Example of using sync.Map:

var m sync.Map

// Write
m.Store("key", "value")

// Read
if val, ok := m.Load("key"); ok {
    fmt.Println(val)
}

// Delete
m.Delete("key")