.. highlightlang:: c

.. index::
 single: buffer protocol
 single: buffer interface; (see buffer protocol)
 single: buffer object; (see buffer protocol)

Buffer Protocol

.. sectionauthor:: Greg Stein <gstein@lyra.org>

.. sectionauthor:: Benjamin Peterson

.. sectionauthor:: Stefan Krah

Certain objects available in Python wrap access to an underlying memory array or buffer. Such objects include the built-in :class:`bytes` and :class:`bytearray`, and some extension types like :class:`array.array`. Third-party libraries may define their own types for special purposes, such as image processing or numeric analysis.

While each of these types have their own semantics, they share the common characteristic of being backed by a possibly large memory buffer. It is then desirable, in some situations, to access that buffer directly and without intermediate copying.

Python provides such a facility at the C level in the form of the :ref:`buffer protocol <bufferobjects>`. This protocol has two sides:

.. index:: single: PyBufferProcs

• on the producer side, a type can export a "buffer interface" which allows objects of that type to expose information about their underlying buffer. This interface is described in the section :ref:`buffer-structs`;
• on the consumer side, several means are available to obtain a pointer to the raw underlying data of an object (for example a method parameter).

Simple objects such as :class:`bytes` and :class:`bytearray` expose their underlying buffer in byte-oriented form. Other forms are possible; for example, the elements exposed by an :class:`array.array` can be multi-byte values.

An example consumer of the buffer interface is the :meth:`~io.BufferedIOBase.write` method of file objects: any object that can export a series of bytes through the buffer interface can be written to a file. While :meth:`write` only needs read-only access to the internal contents of the object passed to it, other methods such as :meth:`~io.BufferedIOBase.readinto` need write access to the contents of their argument. The buffer interface allows objects to selectively allow or reject exporting of read-write and read-only buffers.

There are two ways for a consumer of the buffer interface to acquire a buffer over a target object:

• call :c:func:`PyObject_GetBuffer` with the right parameters;
• call :c:func:`PyArg_ParseTuple` (or one of its siblings) with one of the y*, w* or s* :ref:`format codes <arg-parsing>`.

In both cases, :c:func:`PyBuffer_Release` must be called when the buffer isn't needed anymore. Failure to do so could lead to various issues such as resource leaks.

Buffer structure

Buffer structures (or simply "buffers") are useful as a way to expose the binary data from another object to the Python programmer. They can also be used as a zero-copy slicing mechanism. Using their ability to reference a block of memory, it is possible to expose any data to the Python programmer quite easily. The memory could be a large, constant array in a C extension, it could be a raw block of memory for manipulation before passing to an operating system library, or it could be used to pass around structured data in its native, in-memory format.

Contrary to most data types exposed by the Python interpreter, buffers are not :c:type:`PyObject` pointers but rather simple C structures. This allows them to be created and copied very simply. When a generic wrapper around a buffer is needed, a :ref:`memoryview <memoryview-objects>` object can be created.

For short instructions how to write an exporting object, see :ref:`Buffer Object Structures <buffer-structs>`. For obtaining a buffer, see :c:func:`PyObject_GetBuffer`.

.. c:type:: Py_buffer

 .. c:member:: void \*buf

 A pointer to the start of the logical structure described by the buffer
 fields. This can be any location within the underlying physical memory
 block of the exporter. For example, with negative :c:member:`~Py_buffer.strides`
 the value may point to the end of the memory block.

 For :term:`contiguous` arrays, the value points to the beginning of
 the memory block.

 .. c:member:: void \*obj

 A new reference to the exporting object. The reference is owned by
 the consumer and automatically decremented and set to *NULL* by
 :c:func:`PyBuffer_Release`. The field is the equivalent of the return
 value of any standard C-API function.

 As a special case, for *temporary* buffers that are wrapped by
 :c:func:`PyMemoryView_FromBuffer` or :c:func:`PyBuffer_FillInfo`
 this field is *NULL*. In general, exporting objects MUST NOT
 use this scheme.

 .. c:member:: Py_ssize_t len

 ``product(shape) * itemsize``. For contiguous arrays, this is the length
 of the underlying memory block. For non-contiguous arrays, it is the length
 that the logical structure would have if it were copied to a contiguous
 representation.

 Accessing ``((char *)buf)[0] up to ((char *)buf)[len-1]`` is only valid
 if the buffer has been obtained by a request that guarantees contiguity. In
 most cases such a request will be :c:macro:`PyBUF_SIMPLE` or :c:macro:`PyBUF_WRITABLE`.

 .. c:member:: int readonly

 An indicator of whether the buffer is read-only. This field is controlled
 by the :c:macro:`PyBUF_WRITABLE` flag.

 .. c:member:: Py_ssize_t itemsize

 Item size in bytes of a single element. Same as the value of :func:`struct.calcsize`
 called on non-NULL :c:member:`~Py_buffer.format` values.

 Important exception: If a consumer requests a buffer without the
 :c:macro:`PyBUF_FORMAT` flag, :c:member:`~Py_buffer.format` will
 be set to *NULL*, but :c:member:`~Py_buffer.itemsize` still has
 the value for the original format.

 If :c:member:`~Py_buffer.shape` is present, the equality
 ``product(shape) * itemsize == len`` still holds and the consumer
 can use :c:member:`~Py_buffer.itemsize` to navigate the buffer.

 If :c:member:`~Py_buffer.shape` is *NULL* as a result of a :c:macro:`PyBUF_SIMPLE`
 or a :c:macro:`PyBUF_WRITABLE` request, the consumer must disregard
 :c:member:`~Py_buffer.itemsize` and assume ``itemsize == 1``.

 .. c:member:: const char \*format

 A *NUL* terminated string in :mod:`struct` module style syntax describing
 the contents of a single item. If this is *NULL*, ``"B"`` (unsigned bytes)
 is assumed.

 This field is controlled by the :c:macro:`PyBUF_FORMAT` flag.

 .. c:member:: int ndim

 The number of dimensions the memory represents as an n-dimensional array.
 If it is ``0``, :c:member:`~Py_buffer.buf` points to a single item representing
 a scalar. In this case, :c:member:`~Py_buffer.shape`, :c:member:`~Py_buffer.strides`
 and :c:member:`~Py_buffer.suboffsets` MUST be *NULL*.

 The macro :c:macro:`PyBUF_MAX_NDIM` limits the maximum number of dimensions
 to 64. Exporters MUST respect this limit, consumers of multi-dimensional
 buffers SHOULD be able to handle up to :c:macro:`PyBUF_MAX_NDIM` dimensions.

 .. c:member:: Py_ssize_t \*shape

 An array of :c:type:`Py_ssize_t` of length :c:member:`~Py_buffer.ndim`
 indicating the shape of the memory as an n-dimensional array. Note that
 ``shape[0] * ... * shape[ndim-1] * itemsize`` MUST be equal to
 :c:member:`~Py_buffer.len`.

 Shape values are restricted to ``shape[n] >= 0``. The case
 ``shape[n] == 0`` requires special attention. See `complex arrays`_
 for further information.

 The shape array is read-only for the consumer.

 .. c:member:: Py_ssize_t \*strides

 An array of :c:type:`Py_ssize_t` of length :c:member:`~Py_buffer.ndim`
 giving the number of bytes to skip to get to a new element in each
 dimension.

 Stride values can be any integer. For regular arrays, strides are
 usually positive, but a consumer MUST be able to handle the case
 ``strides[n] <= 0``. See `complex arrays`_ for further information.

 The strides array is read-only for the consumer.

 .. c:member:: Py_ssize_t \*suboffsets

 An array of :c:type:`Py_ssize_t` of length :c:member:`~Py_buffer.ndim`.
 If ``suboffsets[n] >= 0``, the values stored along the nth dimension are
 pointers and the suboffset value dictates how many bytes to add to each
 pointer after de-referencing. A suboffset value that is negative
 indicates that no de-referencing should occur (striding in a contiguous
 memory block).

 If all suboffsets are negative (i.e. no de-referencing is needed), then
 this field must be NULL (the default value).

 This type of array representation is used by the Python Imaging Library
 (PIL). See `complex arrays`_ for further information how to access elements
 of such an array.

 The suboffsets array is read-only for the consumer.

 .. c:member:: void \*internal

 This is for use internally by the exporting object. For example, this
 might be re-cast as an integer by the exporter and used to store flags
 about whether or not the shape, strides, and suboffsets arrays must be
 freed when the buffer is released. The consumer MUST NOT alter this
 value.

Buffer request types

Buffers are usually obtained by sending a buffer request to an exporting object via :c:func:`PyObject_GetBuffer`. Since the complexity of the logical structure of the memory can vary drastically, the consumer uses the flags argument to specify the exact buffer type it can handle.

All :c:data:`Py_buffer` fields are unambiguously defined by the request type.

request-independent fields

The following fields are not influenced by flags and must always be filled in with the correct values: :c:member:`~Py_buffer.obj`, :c:member:`~Py_buffer.buf`, :c:member:`~Py_buffer.len`, :c:member:`~Py_buffer.itemsize`, :c:member:`~Py_buffer.ndim`.

readonly, format

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_WRITABLE

 Controls the :c:member:`~Py_buffer.readonly` field. If set, the exporter
 MUST provide a writable buffer or else report failure. Otherwise, the
 exporter MAY provide either a read-only or writable buffer, but the choice
 MUST be consistent for all consumers.

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_FORMAT

 Controls the :c:member:`~Py_buffer.format` field. If set, this field MUST
 be filled in correctly. Otherwise, this field MUST be *NULL*.

:c:macro:`PyBUF_WRITABLE` can be |'d to any of the flags in the next section. Since :c:macro:`PyBUF_SIMPLE` is defined as 0, :c:macro:`PyBUF_WRITABLE` can be used as a stand-alone flag to request a simple writable buffer.

:c:macro:`PyBUF_FORMAT` can be |'d to any of the flags except :c:macro:`PyBUF_SIMPLE`. The latter already implies format B (unsigned bytes).

shape, strides, suboffsets

The flags that control the logical structure of the memory are listed in decreasing order of complexity. Note that each flag contains all bits of the flags below it.

.. tabularcolumns:: |p{0.35\linewidth}|l|l|l|

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_INDIRECT

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_STRIDES

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_ND

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_SIMPLE

.. index:: contiguous, C-contiguous, Fortran contiguous

contiguity requests

C or Fortran :term:`contiguity <contiguous>` can be explicitly requested, with and without stride information. Without stride information, the buffer must be C-contiguous.

.. tabularcolumns:: |p{0.35\linewidth}|l|l|l|l|

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_C_CONTIGUOUS

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_F_CONTIGUOUS

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_ANY_CONTIGUOUS

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_ND

compound requests

All possible requests are fully defined by some combination of the flags in the previous section. For convenience, the buffer protocol provides frequently used combinations as single flags.

In the following table U stands for undefined contiguity. The consumer would have to call :c:func:`PyBuffer_IsContiguous` to determine contiguity.

.. tabularcolumns:: |p{0.35\linewidth}|l|l|l|l|l|l|

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_FULL

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_FULL_RO

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_RECORDS

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_RECORDS_RO

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_STRIDED

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_STRIDED_RO

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_CONTIG

.. c:macro:: PyBUF_CONTIG_RO

Complex arrays

NumPy-style: shape and strides

The logical structure of NumPy-style arrays is defined by :c:member:`~Py_buffer.itemsize`, :c:member:`~Py_buffer.ndim`, :c:member:`~Py_buffer.shape` and :c:member:`~Py_buffer.strides`.

If ndim == 0, the memory location pointed to by :c:member:`~Py_buffer.buf` is interpreted as a scalar of size :c:member:`~Py_buffer.itemsize`. In that case, both :c:member:`~Py_buffer.shape` and :c:member:`~Py_buffer.strides` are NULL.

If :c:member:`~Py_buffer.strides` is NULL, the array is interpreted as a standard n-dimensional C-array. Otherwise, the consumer must access an n-dimensional array as follows:

ptr = (char *)buf + indices[0] * strides[0] + ... + indices[n-1] * strides[n-1] item = *((typeof(item) *)ptr);

As noted above, :c:member:`~Py_buffer.buf` can point to any location within the actual memory block. An exporter can check the validity of a buffer with this function:

def verify_structure(memlen, itemsize, ndim, shape, strides, offset):
 """Verify that the parameters represent a valid array within
 the bounds of the allocated memory:
 char *mem: start of the physical memory block
 memlen: length of the physical memory block
 offset: (char *)buf - mem
 """
 if offset % itemsize:
 return False
 if offset < 0 or offset+itemsize > memlen:
 return False
 if any(v % itemsize for v in strides):
 return False

 if ndim <= 0:
 return ndim == 0 and not shape and not strides
 if 0 in shape:
 return True

 imin = sum(strides[j]*(shape[j]-1) for j in range(ndim)
 if strides[j] <= 0)
 imax = sum(strides[j]*(shape[j]-1) for j in range(ndim)
 if strides[j] > 0)

 return 0 <= offset+imin and offset+imax+itemsize <= memlen

PIL-style: shape, strides and suboffsets

In addition to the regular items, PIL-style arrays can contain pointers that must be followed in order to get to the next element in a dimension. For example, the regular three-dimensional C-array char v[2][2][3] can also be viewed as an array of 2 pointers to 2 two-dimensional arrays: char (*v[2])[2][3]. In suboffsets representation, those two pointers can be embedded at the start of :c:member:`~Py_buffer.buf`, pointing to two char x[2][3] arrays that can be located anywhere in memory.

Here is a function that returns a pointer to the element in an N-D array pointed to by an N-dimensional index when there are both non-NULL strides and suboffsets:

void *get_item_pointer(int ndim, void *buf, Py_ssize_t *strides,
 Py_ssize_t *suboffsets, Py_ssize_t *indices) {
 char *pointer = (char*)buf;
 int i;
 for (i = 0; i < ndim; i++) {
 pointer += strides[i] * indices[i];
 if (suboffsets[i] >=0 ) {
 pointer = *((char**)pointer) + suboffsets[i];
 }
 }
 return (void*)pointer;
}

Buffer-related functions

.. c:function:: int PyObject_CheckBuffer(PyObject *obj)

 Return ``1`` if *obj* supports the buffer interface otherwise ``0``. When ``1`` is
 returned, it doesn't guarantee that :c:func:`PyObject_GetBuffer` will
 succeed. This function always succeeds.

.. c:function:: int PyObject_GetBuffer(PyObject *exporter, Py_buffer *view, int flags)

 Send a request to *exporter* to fill in *view* as specified by *flags*.
 If the exporter cannot provide a buffer of the exact type, it MUST raise
 :c:data:`PyExc_BufferError`, set :c:member:`view->obj` to *NULL* and
 return ``-1``.

 On success, fill in *view*, set :c:member:`view->obj` to a new reference
 to *exporter* and return 0. In the case of chained buffer providers
 that redirect requests to a single object, :c:member:`view->obj` MAY
 refer to this object instead of *exporter* (See :ref:`Buffer Object Structures <buffer-structs>`).

 Successful calls to :c:func:`PyObject_GetBuffer` must be paired with calls
 to :c:func:`PyBuffer_Release`, similar to :c:func:`malloc` and :c:func:`free`.
 Thus, after the consumer is done with the buffer, :c:func:`PyBuffer_Release`
 must be called exactly once.

.. c:function:: void PyBuffer_Release(Py_buffer *view)

 Release the buffer *view* and decrement the reference count for
 :c:member:`view->obj`. This function MUST be called when the buffer
 is no longer being used, otherwise reference leaks may occur.

 It is an error to call this function on a buffer that was not obtained via
 :c:func:`PyObject_GetBuffer`.

.. c:function:: Py_ssize_t PyBuffer_SizeFromFormat(const char *)

 Return the implied :c:data:`~Py_buffer.itemsize` from :c:data:`~Py_buffer.format`.
 This function is not yet implemented.

.. c:function:: int PyBuffer_IsContiguous(Py_buffer *view, char order)

 Return ``1`` if the memory defined by the *view* is C-style (*order* is
 ``'C'``) or Fortran-style (*order* is ``'F'``) :term:`contiguous` or either one
 (*order* is ``'A'``). Return ``0`` otherwise. This function always succeeds.

.. c:function:: int PyBuffer_ToContiguous(void *buf, Py_buffer *src, Py_ssize_t len, char order)

 Copy *len* bytes from *src* to its contiguous representation in *buf*.
 *order* can be ``'C'`` or ``'F'`` (for C-style or Fortran-style ordering).
 ``0`` is returned on success, ``-1`` on error.

 This function fails if *len* != *src->len*.

.. c:function:: void PyBuffer_FillContiguousStrides(int ndims, Py_ssize_t *shape, Py_ssize_t *strides, int itemsize, char order)

 Fill the *strides* array with byte-strides of a :term:`contiguous` (C-style if
 *order* is ``'C'`` or Fortran-style if *order* is ``'F'``) array of the
 given shape with the given number of bytes per element.

.. c:function:: int PyBuffer_FillInfo(Py_buffer *view, PyObject *exporter, void *buf, Py_ssize_t len, int readonly, int flags)

 Handle buffer requests for an exporter that wants to expose *buf* of size *len*
 with writability set according to *readonly*. *buf* is interpreted as a sequence
 of unsigned bytes.

 The *flags* argument indicates the request type. This function always fills in
 *view* as specified by flags, unless *buf* has been designated as read-only
 and :c:macro:`PyBUF_WRITABLE` is set in *flags*.

 On success, set :c:member:`view->obj` to a new reference to *exporter* and
 return 0. Otherwise, raise :c:data:`PyExc_BufferError`, set
 :c:member:`view->obj` to *NULL* and return ``-1``;

 If this function is used as part of a :ref:`getbufferproc <buffer-structs>`,
 *exporter* MUST be set to the exporting object and *flags* must be passed
 unmodified. Otherwise, *exporter* MUST be NULL.

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