Is buffer always fixed blocks allocated by hardware manufacturer? [closed]

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I have been trying to understand how buffer is constructed? As I understand buffer is a hardware construct such as logic gates are (please correct me if I am wrong). So, I was wondering whether buffer is the location/block always fixed by hardware manufacturer or it could be any location reserved by the software/OS. I mean any buffer i.e. data buffer, cache buffer, etc.

Apologies if my question is bit vague. I am just trying to understand how buffer is implemented and at what level.

Answer 1

A buffer is simply a temporary storage facility for passing data between subsystems. The nature of that buffer (and definition of subsystems) depends on how and where it is used.

Hardware (such as a CPU) may implement a memory cache which is a type of buffer. Being in hardware the size is pretty much fixed but the actual size depends on the hardware design.

(Generically) In software a buffer is typically a chunk of memory reserved by the application that is used to temporarily store data generated by a producer and passed to a consumer for processing. It can be a static (fixed) size or expanded/contracted dynamically. It really depends on the application needs and is defined by the developer/designer.

A buffer is typically used for passing data between software and hardware. The most familiar being I/O. Because I/O is typically slow, data is usually buffered in some way to allow the software to continue running without having to wait for the I/O subsystem to finish.