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Definition of buffer

A quantity of time or materials maintained in the work flow as a cushion against fluctuations in throughput.

Computer Science

Other definitions of buffer

An area of memory reserved for temporarily holding data before that data is used by a receiving device or application. Buffering protects against the interruption of data flow.

Computer Science

To use a region of memory to hold data that is waiting to be transferred, especially to or from input/output (I/O) devices such as disk drives and serial ports.

Computer Science

A temporary storage area for data, often used to ‘smooth out’ incoming audio or video streams. Several seconds worth of material is stored in the buffer and it is then played back from there, so that if there is a brief interruption in the stream your music or video doesn’t stop.

Computer Science

A storage area used for handling data in transit. Buffers are used in internetworking to compensate for differences in processing speed between network devices. Bursts of data can be stored in buffers until they can be handled by slower processing devices. Sometimes referred to as a- packet buffer.

Computer Science