vkCreateBuffer

vkCreateBuffer is a Vulkan API function used to create a new buffer resource on a logical device. A buffer represents a linear region of memory that can store data for various purposes such as vertex data, uniform buffers, storage buffers, or transfer sources and destinations. Importantly, creating a buffer does not allocate or bind memory by itself; memory must be allocated separately and bound to the buffer.

The function signature is: VkResult vkCreateBuffer(VkDevice device, const VkBufferCreateInfo* pCreateInfo, const VkAllocationCallbacks* pAllocator, VkBuffer* pBuffer). The device parameter specifies the logical device on which the buffer is created. pCreateInfo points to a VkBufferCreateInfo structure that describes the buffer, including size (in bytes), usage flags (for example VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VERTEX_BUFFER_BIT, VK_BUFFER_USAGE_UNIFORM_BUFFER_BIT, VK_BUFFER_USAGE_STORAGE_BUFFER_BIT), sharingMode (EXCLUSIVE or CONCURRENT), and, if CONCURRENT, the queueFamilyIndex array. pAllocator can be used for custom allocation callbacks, and pBuffer receives the resulting buffer handle.

Typical usage follows creation with vkCreateBuffer, then querying memory requirements via vkGetBufferMemoryRequirements, selecting a suitable memory type, allocating a VkDeviceMemory, and binding it to the buffer with vkBindBufferMemory.

Return values indicate success or failure. VK_SUCCESS indicates creation succeeded. Possible error codes include VK_ERROR_OUT_OF_HOST_MEMORY, VK_ERROR_OUT_OF_DEVICE_MEMORY, VK_ERROR_FRAGMENTED_POOL, VK_ERROR_TOO_MANY_OBJECTS, VK_ERROR_INITIALIZATION_FAILED, and VK_ERROR_DEVICE_LOST may occur if the device becomes unavailable.

Owner processes should ensure that the buffer’s usage flags and memory properties are compatible with intended access patterns and that synchronization and lifetime management align with the surrounding resource lifecycles. See also vkGetBufferMemoryRequirements, vkBindBufferMemory, and VkBuffer.