Buffer Module in Node.js

From the Node.js Core Modules cheat sheet · Crypto & Buffer · verified Jul 2026

Buffer Module

Handle binary data and convert between encodings

javascript
// Create buffers
const buf1 = Buffer.alloc(10);
const buf2 = Buffer.from('Hello');
const buf3 = Buffer.from([1, 2, 3]);

// Read/Write
buf1.write('Hello');
console.log(buf1.toString());

// Compare
Buffer.compare(buf1, buf2);
💡 Buffers are fixed-size byte arrays
📌 Use Buffer.from() not new Buffer() (deprecated)
⚡ Buffers are more memory efficient than strings
⚠️ Be careful with buffer overflows
🔗 Related: stream.Buffer for streaming operations

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