An infinite loop with an empty body consumes CPU cycles but does nothing. Optimizing compilers and just-in-time systems (JITs) are permitted to (perhaps unexpectedly) remove such a loop. Consequently, programs must not include infinite loops with empty bodies.

Noncompliant Code Example

This noncompliant code example implements an idle task that continuously executes a loop without executing any instructions within the loop. An optimizing compiler or JIT could remove the while loop in this example.

public int nop() {
  while (true) {}
}

Compliant Solution (Thread.sleep())

This compliant solution avoids use of a meaningless infinite loop by invoking Thread.sleep() within the while loop. The loop body contains semantically meaningful operations and consequently cannot be optimized away.

public final int DURATION=10000; // In milliseconds

public void nop() throws InterruptedException {
  while (true) {
    // Useful operations
    Thread.sleep(DURATION);
  }
}

Compliant Solution (yield())

This compliant solution invokes Thread.yield(), which causes the thread running this method to consistently defer to other threads:

public void nop() {
  while (true) {
    Thread.yield();
  }
}

Risk Assessment

Rule

Severity

Likelihood

Remediation Cost

Priority

Level

MSC01-J

Low

Unlikely

Medium

P2

L3

Automated Detection

ToolVersionCheckerDescription
Parasoft Jtest
2024.1
CERT.MSC01.EBAvoid control statements with empty bodies
SonarQube3.10S2189

Bibliography



5 Comments

  1. Unknown User (eazebu)

    Should this rule also encompass infinite recursion?

  2. This is sort of a confusing rule, and mostly about how to write infinite loops, not how to avoid them.  Note that the corresponding C rule was voided.  That might be a good direction for this rule as well.

    A separate question is if we need rules about infinite loops and infinite recursion.

     

    1. I agree.  while(true) is more the danger sign than the empty loop body.  Although I'm also surprised the JIT can remove the whole while loop.

  3. This rule exists because:

    Optimizing compilers and just-in-time systems (JITs) are permitted to (perhaps unexpectedly) remove such a loop

    IOW empty infinite loops are a special case in Java due to the idiosyncracies of JIT compilers.

    I would guess the overall purpose of this rule is to deal with developers who use an inf. loop to (temporarly) suspend execution. Perhaps the rule should be re-titled to instruct how to suspend execution.

  4. This rule is covered in SonarQube java plugin too as S2189.