A lock-free queue is a data structure designed for concurrent programming, allowing multiple threads to access it without using traditional locking mechanisms. This approach helps to avoid bottlenecks and improves performance, especially in multi-threaded environments where many threads may need to enqueue or dequeue items simultaneously. In a lock-free queue, operations are typically implemented using atomic operations, which ensure that changes to the queue's state are made safely without interference from other threads. This design minimizes the risk of deadlocks and reduces latency, making it suitable for applications that require high throughput and responsiveness, such as in real-time systems or high-performance computing.