Ring Buffer

Definitions

1. A fixed-size buffer that wraps around — when the write pointer reaches the end, it wraps to the beginning, overwriting the oldest data. Provides O(1) enqueue/dequeue without memory allocation. Used in logging (keep last N entries), audio processing, network I/O (Linux's io_uring), and producer-consumer patterns.

   In plain English: A fixed-size data buffer that overwrites the oldest data when full, like a circular conveyor belt.

   Example: "The logging system uses a ring buffer — it always keeps the last 10,000 log entries in memory without any allocation overhead."

Related Terms

• Allocator
• Hash Table
• Bloom Filter
• LRU Cache
• Memory Pool
• Memory-Mapped File
• Lock-Free Data Structure
• ARM Architecture
• Inline Assembly
• Runaway Process