Endofstream

Endofstream is a term encountered in computing to denote the point at which a data stream has no more data to read. It is closely related to the more common concept of end-of-file (EOF). While end-of-stream describes the state, endofstream may appear in some codebases, libraries, or documentation as a named indicator for that condition. The essential idea is that a read operation can no longer produce new data because the stream has reached its end.

Detection of end-of-stream varies by language and API. In C and C++, end-of-file is signaled by returning the value EOF from functions like fgetc or getchar, and C++ iostreams set state bits such as eofbit. In Java, end of stream is detected when read methods return -1 (for InputStream) or when readLine returns null (for readers). In Python, file reads return an empty string or empty bytes at EOF, and iteration over a file-like object ends automatically. In .NET, many stream-based APIs expose an EndOfStream indicator (such as the EndOfStream property on certain readers), and reads can return 0 or -1 depending on the method used.

Practical usage typically involves checking the return value of a read operation or the stream’s state after a read. If end-of-stream is reached, loops terminate and resources are released. Different environments define end-of-stream behavior in ways that influence error handling, buffering, and I/O patterns; some streams may be non-blocking or partially available, requiring careful handling to distinguish true end-of-stream from temporary unavailability.

The term endofstream is not a universal standard across languages. It may appear as a descriptive label or as a library-specific function or constant in particular codebases, but readers should rely on the language’s documented EOF or EndOfStream semantics for correct implementation.