Buffered

Buffered refers to the state of data or signals that are temporarily stored in a buffer—a region of memory or a dedicated circuit—so that production and consumption rates can be decoupled. A buffer smooths mismatches in timing or rate, absorbs bursts of activity, and can reduce latency variance or prevent data loss.

In computing, buffering is common in input/output operations, file systems, streaming, and networking. Buffered I/O collects data into a memory buffer before it is written to or read from the device, increasing throughput at the cost of a short delay. Buffering is contrasted with unbuffered I/O, where data is transferred directly with minimal delay. Circular buffers and queueing structures implement fixed-size buffers that recycle space as data is consumed. Double buffering in graphics uses two buffers to render a frame while another is displayed, reducing flicker.

In networking and operating systems, buffers absorb bursts of packets and regulate flow control, while kernel and user-space libraries expose APIs to manage buffer sizes and behavior. In electronics, a buffer or buffer amplifier provides high input impedance and low output impedance, isolating stages and preventing one circuit from loading another. The term buffered often appears in documentation to indicate that a parameter, endpoint, or stream includes buffering.

Etymology traces to buffer, a term for a temporary storage area or cushion, with roots in older English usage.