Implement a single-producer multi-consumer ring buffer

Q: Implement a single-producer multi-consumer ring buffer

This question evaluates understanding of ring-buffer data structures, circular indexing, fixed-capacity storage, and object-oriented design for a single-producer, multi-consumer implementation in C++.

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Question

Implement a fixed-capacity ring buffer in C++ for a setting with one producer and multiple consumers.

Design a class that stores integers in a preallocated circular array and supports the following operations:

RingBuffer(int capacity) : initialize the buffer with a fixed capacity.
bool push(int value) : insert a value at the tail. Return false if the buffer is full.
bool pop(int& value) : remove the oldest value from the head and write it into value . Return false if the buffer is empty.
bool empty() const
bool full() const
int size() const

Requirements:

All operations should run in O(1) time.
Use circular indexing to reuse freed space.
Do not resize the underlying storage.
Focus on the object-oriented design and correct ring-buffer behavior.
You may assume synchronization is handled externally; the main goal is to implement the ring-buffer logic correctly for a single-producer, multi-consumer use case.

After coding, briefly explain how you would adapt the design if true thread safety were required.

Implement a single-producer multi-consumer ring buffer

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