nonbytealignment
Nonbytealignment, in data representation, refers to the practice of organizing and accessing data whose fields do not align with the boundaries of a byte. In nonbytealigned formats, field widths can be arbitrary numbers of bits, such as 3, 5, or 12 bits, requiring bit-level packing and extraction rather than straightforward byte accesses. This concept is common in compact data protocols, embedded systems, and certain file formats where minimizing bandwidth or storage is important.
Implementation is typically achieved through bit packing and bitfield manipulation. Data is stored as a continuous
Examples of nonbytealigned fields appear in network protocols and file formats. For instance, some header fields
Advantages of nonbytealignment include reduced data size and potentially lower transmission costs. The drawbacks include increased
See also: bit-field, bit-packing, endianness, serialization, data alignment.