# feross/buffer

The buffer module from node.js, for the browser.

Repository: https://github.com/feross/buffer
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/buffer
Language: JavaScript
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: browserify, javascript, buffer, nodejs, browser
Last push: 2025-10-28T00:33:50+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 54/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 49, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4671, "days_push": 310, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1890, forks 260 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:49.467099+00:00)

## What it is
A JavaScript library that provides the Node.js Buffer API for browsers, backed by Typed Arrays. It allows code written for Node.js that relies on Buffer to run unchanged in browser environments, typically via bundlers like Browserify.

## Use cases
- use node Buffer API in the browser
- run npm modules that depend on Buffer in browser bundles
- manipulate binary data with Uint8Array in browser
- polyfill Buffer for webpack/browserify builds
- decode and encode binary data client-side
- make isomorphic libraries work in browser and node

## When to choose
- porting Node.js code or dependencies to the browser
- need exact Node Buffer API compatibility in frontend code
- want a small, fast, well-tested binary data shim

## When to avoid
- targeting only Node.js where Buffer is built in
- modern browsers where Uint8Array suffices without Node API compatibility
- non-JavaScript environments

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: serialization, developer-tools
- domain: web-development, frontend, developer-tools
- platform: browser
- tags: buffer, binary-data, uint8array, arraybuffer, browserify, node-compatibility, nodejs, javascript

## Member repositories
- feross/buffer (main) score 54

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:49.467099+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:13:01.572890+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/feross/buffer (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:49.467099+00:00, sha f11a2ad3f5d0)
  - registry_npm: https://registry.npmjs.org/buffer (fetched 2026-08-29T10:52:27.533288+00:00, sha 3ba92db67d13)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.