Thread
/θrɛd/
noun — "smallest unit of execution within a process."
Thread is the basic unit of execution within a process, representing a single sequential flow of control that shares the process’s resources, such as memory, file descriptors, and global variables, while maintaining its own execution state, including program counter, registers, and stack. Threads allow a process to perform multiple operations concurrently within the same address space, enabling efficient utilization of CPU cores and responsiveness in multitasking applications.
Process
/ˈproʊsɛs/
noun — "running instance of a program."
Process is an executing instance of a program along with its associated resources and state information managed by an operating system. It represents the fundamental unit of work in modern computing, providing an isolated environment in which instructions are executed, memory is allocated, and input/output operations are coordinated. A single program can have multiple concurrent processes, each maintaining its own independent state.