Node.js Buffer.compare() Method

Example

Check if two buffer objects are equal:

var buf1 = Buffer.from('abc');
var buf2 = Buffer.from('abc');
var x = Buffer.compare(buf1, buf2);
console.log(x);

var buf1 = Buffer.from('a');
var buf2 = Buffer.from('b');
var x = Buffer.compare(buf1, buf2);
console.log(x);

var buf1 = Buffer.from('b');
var buf2 = Buffer.from('a');
var x = Buffer.compare(buf1, buf2);
console.log(x);

Run example »

Definition and Usage

The compare() method compares two buffer objects and returns a number defining their differences:

0 if they are equal
1 if buf1 is higher than buf2
-1 if buf1 is lower than buf2

This method can be used to sort arrays containing buffers.

Syntax

Buffer.compare(buf1, buf2);

Parameter Values

Parameter	Description
buf1	Required. A Buffer
buf2	Required. A Buffer

Technical Details

Return Value:	A number (-1, 0, or 1)
Node.js Version:	0.11.13

More Examples

Example

Use Buffer.compare() to sort an array of buffers:

var buf1 = Buffer.from('b');
var buf2 = Buffer.from('c');
var buf3 = Buffer.from('a');
var arr = [buf1, buf2, buf3];

//The array before sorting:
console.log(arr);

//Sort the array:
console.log(arr.sort(Buffer.compare));

Run example »

❮ Buffer Module