Buffer

Buffer can refer to:

* Buffer state, a country lying between two potentially hostile greater powers, thought to prevent conflict between them
* Buffer zone, any area that keeps two or more other areas distant from one another, may be demilitarized
* Buffer (rail transport), a device that cushions the impact of vehicles against each other
* Buffer stop ("bumper" in U.S.), a device to prevent railway vehicles from going past the end of a section of track
* Recoil buffer, an accessory for firearms, to cushion the impact of recoil
* Buffer (navy), the colloquial term for the senior seaman sailor in a (British Commonwealth) Navy ship
* Buffer wheel, a wheel attached to a motor similar to a pedestal grinder used to smooth and polish metals and other materials
* Film loop, isolates intermittent motion in a movie projector
* Buff (MMORPG terminology), in MMORPG gaming, abilities which enhance other character's abilities

People:
* Bruce Buffer, sports announcer
* Michael Buffer, sports announcer
* Bob "Buffer" Laidman, Systems Engineer

In physical science:
* Buffer solution, a solution which resists change of pH upon addition of small amounts of acid or base, or upon dilution
* Buffering agent, the weak acid or weak base in a buffer solution
* Buffer gas, an inert or nonflammable gas
* Buffer (GIS), a zone around a map feature
* Lysis buffer, in biochemistry, a destructor of cell membranes that enables analysis of the compounds within
* Mineral redox buffer, a mineral assemblage which stabilises oxidation state in natural rock systems

In electronics and computer science:
* Data buffer, memory used to temporarily store output or input data
* Buffer (telecommunication), a routine or storage medium used to compensate for a difference in rate of flow of data between devices
* Framebuffer
* Optical buffer, a device that stores optically transmitted data without converting it to the electrical domain
* Buffer amplifier (also sometimes simply called a buffer), an isolating circuit used in electronics or telecommunications
* Buffer (optical fiber), a component used to encapsulate one or more optical fibers in a fiber optic communication cable