Buffering
Buffering is a data handling technique that temporarily stores data in a buffer (a memory area) to manage differences in data transfer rates between components, such as between a fast processor and a slower I/O device. It helps smooth out data flow, prevent data loss, and improve overall system performance by allowing asynchronous operations. Buffering is widely used in computing, networking, multimedia streaming, and file systems to handle data efficiently.
Developers should learn buffering techniques when building systems that involve data streaming, real-time processing, or I/O operations to handle speed mismatches and ensure reliability. For example, in video streaming applications, buffering prevents playback interruptions by preloading content, while in database systems, it optimizes write operations by batching data. It's essential for performance tuning in high-throughput systems like web servers or data pipelines.