Reentrancy (computing)

Reentrancy is like a game of Jenga. Imagine you are playing Jenga, where you stack wooden blocks one on top of the other. Each time it's your turn, you take out one block from the stack and put it back on top without making the stack fall.

In the world of computers, reentrancy happens when a process pulls out a block of code from a program and uses it for its own operation. The program then puts the block back in its original place for when it's needed again.

Think of it like a chef who takes a recipe book from a shelf, makes a dish, and then puts the book back for when it's needed again. The same goes for a computer program that takes a piece of code and uses it and puts it back in its original location for the next time it's needed.

However, if this process happens too quickly or too often, it can cause the stack of blocks to fall over or create an error in the program. Just like Jenga, if you keep pulling blocks out too quickly, the whole stack will fall.

In short, reentrancy in computing refers to the ability of a program to use the same block of code multiple times without affecting the overall stability of the program.