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BufferedStream ExampleTest the BufferedStream class on a MemoryStream. With BufferedStream the WriteByte method goes faster.
C#
This page was last reviewed on May 18, 2023.
BufferedStream. With a buffer, we avoid executing writes and reads until a certain number of operations has been requested. Then we execute them all at once.
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An optimization. Buffering makes things faster—many bytes can be written at once, reducing overhead of each byte. The BufferedStream in C# can be used to optimize stream reads and writes.
Example program. Consider this program. It uses a MemoryStream and we want to write 5 million bytes to it. But we wrap the MemoryStream in a BufferedStream.
And We call WriteByte on the BufferedStream, which acts upon the MemoryStream. But it buffers operations.
Result The total time required for the 5 million buffered WriteByte calls is printed as the program exits.
using System; using System.Diagnostics; using System.IO; class Program { static void Main() { var t1 = Stopwatch.StartNew(); // Use BufferedStream to buffer writes to a MemoryStream. using (MemoryStream memory = new MemoryStream()) using (BufferedStream stream = new BufferedStream(memory)) { // Write a byte 5 million times. for (int i = 0; i < 5000000; i++) { stream.WriteByte(5); } } t1.Stop(); Console.WriteLine("BUFFEREDSTREAM TIME: " + t1.Elapsed.TotalMilliseconds); } }
BUFFEREDSTREAM TIME: 20.6607
Benchmark, part 2. We must compare our BufferedStream benchmark to another one without BufferedStream. Here we use MemoryStream directly—no buffering is done.
Result The 5 million WriteByte calls in this program take an entire 5 milliseconds more than in the version that uses BufferedStream.
using System; using System.Diagnostics; using System.IO; class Program { static void Main() { var t1 = Stopwatch.StartNew(); // Use MemoryStream directly with no buffering. using (MemoryStream memory = new MemoryStream()) { // Write a byte 5 million times. for (int i = 0; i < 5000000; i++) { memory.WriteByte(5); } } t1.Stop(); Console.WriteLine("MEMORYSTREAM TIME: " + t1.Elapsed.TotalMilliseconds); } }
MEMORYSTREAM TIME: 26.2119
Notes, performance. By using BufferedStream, we achieved a performance boost. This would not be helpful on small streams or fewer writes.
Notes, continued. To achieve "optimal" performance, we need to always measure. But BufferedStream is a good option to try to improve stream read and write performance.
Tip Optimal performance is "undecidable" which means no program is optimal because another might someday exist that is faster.
A summary. Most programs will not benefit from BufferedStream. But it is good to know it exists. It can improve both reads and writes.
Dot Net Perls is a collection of tested code examples. Pages are continually updated to stay current, with code correctness a top priority.
Sam Allen is passionate about computer languages. In the past, his work has been recommended by Apple and Microsoft and he has studied computers at a selective university in the United States.
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