ARRAYBUFFERs

An ArrayBuffer is a generic fixed-length raw binary data buffer in JavaScript. It represents a chunk of memory that can be accessed and manipulated by JavaScript. Unlike standard JavaScript arrays which are dynamic and can hold any type of value, ArrayBuffers are designed for efficient storage and access of binary data such as images, audio, or network packets.

To work with the data in an ArrayBuffer, you typically use "typed arrays" or a `DataView`. Typed arrays, such as `Uint8Array`, `Int16Array`, or `Float32Array`, provide an array-like interface for interpreting the ArrayBuffer's contents as a specific numeric type. For example, a `Uint8Array` treats the buffer as an array of unsigned 8-bit integers. `DataView` offers more flexibility, allowing you to read and write different numeric types at specific byte offsets within the buffer, regardless of the platform's endianness.

ArrayBuffers are crucial for performance-intensive tasks and for interacting with low-level APIs like WebGL, Web Audio API, and the Fetch API when dealing with binary data. They enable efficient data transfer between JavaScript and the underlying system or network, avoiding the overhead associated with JavaScript's object model. When you receive data from a network request or load a file, it might be returned as an ArrayBuffer, which you then process using a typed array or DataView to extract the meaningful information.