buffer protocol
The buffer protocol is a mechanism in Python that allows objects to share their internal memory buffers with other objects for direct access.
It underpins features like memoryview() and allows efficient data sharing between objects that store large amounts of data, such as images, audio, or numerical arrays. When an object implements the buffer protocol, other code can access its underlying memory buffer directly.
This protocol is especially important for performance-critical situations because it reduces overhead and preserves memory usage by avoiding unnecessary copies. Built-in types such as bytes, bytearray, and array.array expose a buffer interface. Libraries like NumPy also use it to exchange raw data efficiently across different parts of an application.
The buffer protocol is a mechanism in Python that allows objects to share their internal memory buffers with other objects for direct access. It enables efficient data exchange between objects without unnecessary copying, particularly useful for handling large blocks of binary data.
Related Resources
Tutorial
Python Protocols: Leveraging Structural Subtyping
In this tutorial, you'll learn about Python's protocols and how they can help you get the most out of using Python's type hint system and static type checkers.
For additional information on related topics, take a look at the following resources:
By Dan Bader • Updated Feb. 9, 2026
