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doc: improve Buffer() text
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Rewording, punctuation, consistent sentence structure and italics, wrap
section at 80 characters.

PR-URL: #19567
Reviewed-By: Vse Mozhet Byt <[email protected]>
Reviewed-By: Trivikram Kamat <[email protected]>
Reviewed-By: Luigi Pinca <[email protected]>
Reviewed-By: James M Snell <[email protected]>
Reviewed-By: Gibson Fahnestock <[email protected]>
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Trott authored and targos committed Mar 27, 2018
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Showing 1 changed file with 24 additions and 24 deletions.
48 changes: 24 additions & 24 deletions doc/api/buffer.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -52,53 +52,53 @@ In versions of Node.js prior to 6.0.0, `Buffer` instances were created using the
`Buffer` constructor function, which allocates the returned `Buffer`
differently based on what arguments are provided:

* Passing a number as the first argument to `Buffer()` (e.g. `new Buffer(10)`),
* Passing a number as the first argument to `Buffer()` (e.g. `new Buffer(10)`)
allocates a new `Buffer` object of the specified size. Prior to Node.js 8.0.0,
the memory allocated for such `Buffer` instances is *not* initialized and
*can contain sensitive data*. Such `Buffer` instances *must* be subsequently
initialized by using either [`buf.fill(0)`][`buf.fill()`] or by writing to the
`Buffer` completely. While this behavior is *intentional* to improve
performance, development experience has demonstrated that a more explicit
distinction is required between creating a fast-but-uninitialized `Buffer`
versus creating a slower-but-safer `Buffer`. Starting in Node.js 8.0.0,
`Buffer(num)` and `new Buffer(num)` will return a `Buffer` with initialized
memory.
entire `Buffer`. While this behavior is *intentional* to improve performance,
development experience has demonstrated that a more explicit distinction is
required between creating a fast-but-uninitialized `Buffer` versus creating a
slower-but-safer `Buffer`. Starting in Node.js 8.0.0, `Buffer(num)` and
`new Buffer(num)` will return a `Buffer` with initialized memory.
* Passing a string, array, or `Buffer` as the first argument copies the
passed object's data into the `Buffer`.
* Passing an [`ArrayBuffer`] or a [`SharedArrayBuffer`] returns a `Buffer` that
shares allocated memory with the given array buffer.

Because the behavior of `new Buffer()` is different depending on the type of the
first argument, security and reliability issues can be inadvertantly introduced
into applications when argument validation or `Buffer` initialization are not
first argument, security and reliability issues can be inadvertently introduced
into applications when argument validation or `Buffer` initialization is not
performed.

To make the creation of `Buffer` instances more reliable and less error prone,
To make the creation of `Buffer` instances more reliable and less error-prone,
the various forms of the `new Buffer()` constructor have been **deprecated**
and replaced by separate `Buffer.from()`, [`Buffer.alloc()`], and
[`Buffer.allocUnsafe()`] methods.

*Developers should migrate all existing uses of the `new Buffer()` constructors
to one of these new APIs.*

* [`Buffer.from(array)`] returns a new `Buffer` containing a *copy* of the provided
octets.
* [`Buffer.from(array)`] returns a new `Buffer` that *contains a copy* of the
provided octets.
* [`Buffer.from(arrayBuffer[, byteOffset [, length]])`][`Buffer.from(arrayBuffer)`]
returns a new `Buffer` that *shares* the same allocated memory as the given
returns a new `Buffer` that *shares the same allocated memory* as the given
[`ArrayBuffer`].
* [`Buffer.from(buffer)`] returns a new `Buffer` containing a *copy* of the
* [`Buffer.from(buffer)`] returns a new `Buffer` that *contains a copy* of the
contents of the given `Buffer`.
* [`Buffer.from(string[, encoding])`][`Buffer.from(string)`] returns a new `Buffer`
containing a *copy* of the provided string.
* [`Buffer.alloc(size[, fill[, encoding]])`][`Buffer.alloc()`] returns a "filled"
`Buffer` instance of the specified size. This method can be significantly
slower than [`Buffer.allocUnsafe(size)`][`Buffer.allocUnsafe()`] but ensures
that newly created `Buffer` instances never contain old and potentially
sensitive data.
* [`Buffer.from(string[, encoding])`][`Buffer.from(string)`] returns a new
`Buffer` that *contains a copy* of the provided string.
* [`Buffer.alloc(size[, fill[, encoding]])`][`Buffer.alloc()`] returns a new
initialized `Buffer` of the specified size. This method is slower than
[`Buffer.allocUnsafe(size)`][`Buffer.allocUnsafe()`] but guarantees that newly
created `Buffer` instances never contain old data that is potentially
sensitive.
* [`Buffer.allocUnsafe(size)`][`Buffer.allocUnsafe()`] and
[`Buffer.allocUnsafeSlow(size)`][`Buffer.allocUnsafeSlow()`] each return a
new `Buffer` of the specified `size` whose content *must* be initialized
using either [`buf.fill(0)`][`buf.fill()`] or written to completely.
new uninitialized `Buffer` of the specified `size`. Because the `Buffer` is
uninitialized, the allocated segment of memory might contain old data that is
potentially sensitive.

`Buffer` instances returned by [`Buffer.allocUnsafe()`] *may* be allocated off
a shared internal memory pool if `size` is less than or equal to half
Expand All @@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ force all newly allocated `Buffer` instances created using either
this flag *changes the default behavior* of these methods and *can have a significant
impact* on performance. Use of the `--zero-fill-buffers` option is recommended
only when necessary to enforce that newly allocated `Buffer` instances cannot
contain potentially sensitive data.
contain old data that is potentially sensitive.

```txt
$ node --zero-fill-buffers
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