#### Concurrency Hints

The `io_context` constructor allows programs to specify a concurrency hint. This is a suggestion to the `io_context` implementation as to the number of active threads that should be used for running completion handlers.

When the Windows I/O completion port backend is in use, this value is passed to `CreateIoCompletionPort`.

When a reactor-based backend is used, the implementation recognises the following special concurrency hint values:

Value | Description
--- | ---
`1` | The implementation assumes that the `io_context` will be run from a single thread, and applies several optimisations based on this assumption. For example, when a handler is posted from within another handler, the new handler is added to a fast thread-local queue (with the consequence that the new handler is held back until the currently executing handler finishes).

`ASIO_CONCURRENCY_HINT_UNSAFE`

This special concurrency hint disables locking in both the scheduler and reactor I/O. This hint has the following restrictions:

— Care must be taken to ensure that all operations on the `io_context` and any of its associated I/O objects (such as sockets and timers) occur in only one thread at a time.

— Asynchronous resolve operations fail with `operation_not_supported`.

— If a `signal_set` is used with the `io_context`, `signal_set` objects cannot be used with any other io_context in the program.

`ASIO_CONCURRENCY_HINT_UNSAFE_IO` | This special concurrency hint disables locking in the reactor I/O. This hint has the following restrictions: — Care must be taken to ensure that run functions on the `io_context`, and all operations on the context's associated I/O objects (such as sockets and timers), occur in only one thread at a time.
`ASIO_CONCURRENCY_HINT_SAFE` | The default. The `io_context` provides full thread safety, and distinct I/O objects may be used from any thread.

The concurrency hint used by default-constructed `io_context` objects can be overridden at compile time by defining the `ASIO_CONCURRENCY_HINT_DEFAULT` macro. For example, specifying

    -DASIO_CONCURRENCY_HINT_DEFAULT=1

on the compiler command line means that a concurrency hint of `1` is used for all default-constructed `io_context` objects in the program. Similarly, the concurrency hint used by `io_context` objects constructed with `1` can be overridden by defining `ASIO_CONCURRENCY_HINT_1`. For example, passing

    -DASIO_CONCURRENCY_HINT_1=ASIO_CONCURRENCY_HINT_UNSAFE

to the compiler will disable thread safety for all of these objects.