Nonbytealigned
Nonbytealigned refers to data whose boundaries do not coincide with standard 8-bit bytes. In nonbytealigned data, a field may begin at an offset within a byte and have a length that is not a multiple of 8 bits. This contrasts with byte-aligned data, where most structures start at byte boundaries and fields are multiples of 8 bits long.
Nonbytealignment is common in bit-oriented data formats and communications where packing fields tightly saves bandwidth or
Handling nonbytealigned data requires bit-level operations, such as shifting and masking, and careful tracking of bit
Related concepts include bit fields, bit packing, and bitstreams. Nonbytealigned data often demands specialized parsers or