Binary Data Manipulation
The primary purpose of the Buffer
class is to facilitate the manipulation of binary data in NodeJS. It provides methods for creating buffers from strings, arrays, or other buffers, as well as for reading, writing, and modifying the contents of buffers.
// Creating a buffer from a string
const buffer = Buffer.from('Hello, World!', 'utf8');
// Reading from a buffer
console.log(buffer.toString('utf8')); // Output: Hello, World!
// Modifying buffer contents
buffer[0] = 72; // ASCII code for 'H'
console.log(buffer.toString('utf8')); // Output: H ello, World!
What is the purpose of the Buffer class in Node ?
In Node, the Buffer
class plays a crucial role in handling binary data, allowing developers to work with raw binary data directly. The Buffer
class provides a way to create, manipulate, and convert binary data efficiently, making it essential for various tasks such as file I/O, network communication, cryptography, and data manipulation. Let’s explore the key purposes and functionalities of the Buffer
class in Node.