Comparing Four Static Analysis Tools for Java Concurrency Bugs

Abstract

Static analysis (SA) tools are being used for early detection of software defects. Concurrency bugs are different from bugs in sequential programs, and they are often harder to detect. This paper presents the evaluation of four static analysis tools and their capabilities to detect Java concur- rency bugs and bug patterns. The tools, i.e., Coverity Pre- vent, Jtest, FindBugs, and Jlint, are evaluated using concur- rent benchmark programs and a collection of multithreaded bug patterns. In addition, we have categorized the bug pat- tern detectors of the tools and also identified 87 unique bug patterns from the tools’ detectors and literature.