Ringbufer

A ring buffer, also known as a circular buffer, is a data structure that uses a single, fixed-size buffer as if it were connected end-to-end. This structure lends itself easily to buffering data streams. It can be implemented as an array or a list.

The ring buffer contains two pointers, a read pointer and a write pointer. The write pointer indicates the next position where data can be written, and the read pointer indicates the next position from which data can be read. When the write pointer reaches the end of the buffer, it wraps around to the beginning. Similarly, when the read pointer reaches the end of the buffer, it also wraps around.

If the write pointer catches up to the read pointer, the buffer is considered full. If the read pointer catches up to the write pointer, the buffer is considered empty. This behavior allows the ring buffer to efficiently manage a continuous stream of data, such as in producer-consumer scenarios.

Ring buffers are commonly used in applications where data needs to be processed sequentially but at a different rate than it is produced. Examples include audio and video streaming, network packet buffering, and real-time data acquisition systems. Their fixed size and efficient wrap-around mechanism make them a memory-efficient and performant solution for managing transient data.