Mastering Go - Second Edition

Buffered and unbuffered file input and output

Buffered file input and output happens when there is a buffer for temporarily storing data before reading data or writing data. Thus, instead of reading a file byte by byte, you read many bytes at once. You put the data in a buffer and wait for someone to read it in the desired way. Unbuffered file input and output happens when there is no buffer to temporarily store data before actually reading or writing it.

The next question that you might ask is how to decide when to use buffered and when to use unbuffered file input and output. When dealing with critical data, unbuffered file input and output is generally a better choice because buffered reads might result in out-of-date data and buffered ...