node-buffer2address

Node.js module to retrieve memory address of Buffer

About

This tiny module allows to retrieve the memory address of a Node.js Buffer as a BigInt. This address can be used for interoperability with native code.

Installation

npm install buffer2address

or

yarn add buffer2address

API

pinBuffer({ buffer })

Pins a buffer in memory and retrieves its memory address. Returns an object containing the address and an unpin function.

Parameters:

• buffer (Uint8Array) - The buffer to pin and retrieve the memory address from

Returns: { address: bigint, unpin: () => void } - An object containing:

• address - The memory address of the pinned buffer
• unpin() - Function to unpin the buffer when no longer needed

⚠️ Important: Always call unpin() when you're done using the address to prevent memory leaks. The buffer remains pinned in memory until unpinned.

address2buffer({ address, size })

Creates a Buffer view from a memory address.

Parameters:

• address (bigint) - The memory address to create a buffer from
• size (number) - The size of the buffer in bytes

Returns: Uint8Array - A buffer view at the specified memory address

⚠️ Warning: Using address2buffer with invalid addresses can cause crashes or undefined behavior. Only use addresses obtained from valid buffers.

Example

import { pinBuffer, address2buffer } from "buffer2address";

const buf = new Uint8Array(16);
buf[0] = 0xAA;

const pinnedBuffer = pinBuffer({ buffer: buf });
console.log(`buffer address = ${pinnedBuffer.address}`);

const buf2 = address2buffer({ address: pinnedBuffer.address, size: buf.length });
console.log(`buffer =`, buf2);

pinnedBuffer.unpin();