shared_buffer

shared_buffer is the framework's universal data container for binary payloads. It is used across cache, TCP, WebSocket, and event systems. shared_buffer provides a single, reference-counted type that all these systems can use interchangeably — avoiding unnecessary copies and ensuring consistent memory management.

It wraps either a std::vector<uint8_t> or a FlatBuffers DetachedBuffer in a copy-on-write shared pointer.

Why shared_buffer?

Throughout the framework, binary data is passed between subsystems: cache stores key-value pairs, TCP sends raw bytes, WebSocket transmits FlatBuffers frames, and events carry payloads. Without a common type, each subsystem would need its own buffer management, leading to unnecessary copies and inconsistent APIs. shared_buffer solves this by providing a single type that:

• Avoids copies — Multiple references share the same underlying data.
• Supports FlatBuffers natively — DetachedBuffer can be moved directly into a shared_buffer.
• Integrates with Boost.Asio — as_asio() converts to asio::const_buffer for I/O operations.

Factory Methods

shared_buffer::copy(data, size) — From raw bytes

const char* raw = "hello";
auto buf = shared_buffer::copy(raw, 5);

shared_buffer::copy(str) — From string

auto buf = shared_buffer::copy(std::string("hello"));

shared_buffer::make(vec) — From vector (move)

std::vector<uint8_t> vec = {1, 2, 3, 4};
auto buf = shared_buffer::make(std::move(vec));

shared_buffer::make(buf) — From FlatBuffers

flatbuffers::DetachedBuffer fb_buf = builder.Release();
auto buf = shared_buffer::make(std::move(fb_buf));

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Accessors

Method	Return Type	Description
data()	const uint8_t*	Raw pointer to buffer data
size()	size_t	Buffer size in bytes
empty()	bool	True if buffer is empty
to_string()	std::string	Copy contents to string
as_asio()	asio::const_buffer	Convert for Boost.Asio operations
operator bool()	bool	True if buffer is non-empty
operator==(other)	bool	Byte-wise equality comparison

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Implicit Conversions

// From shared_ptr<vector<uint8_t>>
auto vec = std::make_shared<std::vector<uint8_t>>(std::initializer_list<uint8_t>{1,2,3});
shared_buffer buf(vec);

// From shared_ptr<DetachedBuffer>
auto detach = std::make_shared<flatbuffers::DetachedBuffer>(builder.Release());
shared_buffer buf(detach);

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Next: Configuration.