SAFEPOINTS FOR GUEST LANGUAGES ON A VIRTUAL MACHINE

An application programming interface (API) may include an initiator configured to initiate a guest safepoint via an action represented in a guest language executed on a virtual machine, provide a safepoint action to a group of guest threads, synchronize the guest threads such that each guest thread in the group executes the safepoint action once all guest threads in the group enter the guest safepoint, and synchronize the guest threads such that each guest thread in the group exits the guest safepoint once all guest threads in the group complete execution of the safepoint action. The API may also include a guest configured to determine whether a guest safepoint is initiated, enter the guest safepoint, execute the safepoint action while execution of a guest action is paused, and exit the guest safepoint and resume execution of the guest action once the safepoint action completes execution.