Minnebuffer

Minnebuffer is a term used in computing to describe a small, fixed-size in-memory buffer intended for short-term data storage during I/O operations. It emphasizes low latency and predictable timing, typically at the cost of reduced capacity compared with larger buffers. In practice, a minnebuffer is often implemented as a circular (ring) buffer with a fixed capacity and simple access rules. A producer writes data into the buffer and a consumer reads from it, usually with indices or pointers that wrap around on reaching the end. Many implementations aim for lock-free operation, using atomic read and write positions to minimize synchronization overhead.

Common characteristics include fixed capacity, contiguous storage, lock-free or minimally synchronized access, and explicit overflow handling. Overflow strategies may include dropping the oldest data, returning an overrun signal, or stalling the producer until space becomes available. The term is not tied to a formal standard, and specific APIs vary by project. Minnebuffers are popular in embedded systems, real-time audio processing, sensor data pipelines, and network I/O where latency is critical and memory usage must be tightly controlled.

Compared with larger buffering schemes, minnebuffers offer lower memory footprint and lower latency but at the risk of higher complexity in overflow handling and potential data loss if the buffer becomes full. See also ring buffer, circular buffer, FIFO queue, lock-free data structure.