workerinitfn

workerinitfn is a term used in concurrent programming to denote a callback that initializes per-worker state when a new worker is created. It runs during the startup phase of a worker thread, process, or task, after global initialization but before the worker begins processing work. The function separates per-worker setup from global startup.

The exact signature varies by language and framework, but it typically accepts a worker context or identifier and returns a status or may throw an exception on failure. Common responsibilities include establishing per-worker resources (such as database or network connections), seeding randomness, configuring worker-specific logging, and registering metrics or tracing context.

Usage patterns include supplying workerinitfn to a thread pool, a service that forks workers, or a framework that supports per-workload isolation. It may be mandatory or optional; when absent, a default initialization path is used. A good workerinitfn is idempotent, thread-safe, and fast, and it should avoid long-running operations or accessing global state in ways that create contention.

Example (pseudocode):

function workerinitfn(ctx) {

connect(ctx.db)

seedRNG(ctx.id)

initLogging(ctx.id)

return success

}

Considerations include proper cleanup on shutdown, error handling strategies, and portability across environments (single- vs multi-process). In some frameworks the function is provided by the framework; in others it is supplied by the application. See also: thread pool, per-worker data, initialization hooks.