Node.js stringDecoder.write() Method

The stringDecoder.write() method in Node.js is used to decode data from a Buffer, TypedArray, or DataView into a string. It helps correctly process character data by handling incomplete multibyte characters across multiple chunks.

• Stores incomplete multibyte characters in an internal buffer.
• Uses the stored bytes in subsequent write() or end() calls.
• Commonly used when reading data from streams in chunks.

Syntax:

stringDecoder.write( buffer )

where,

• buffer: It is a Buffer, TypedArray or DataView that contains the bytes that have to be decoded.

Return Value: It returns a string which is decoded from the given buffer.

Example 1:

In this code, A StringDecoder object is created with UTF-8 encoding to decode data stored in a Buffer. The write() method converts the buffer content into a readable string and returns the decoded result.

Output:

Example 2:

In this code, The StringDecoder object is used to decode data stored in buffers with different encodings. It converts hexadecimal, Base64, and byte-based buffer data into readable UTF-8 text and symbols.

Output:

Use cases of stringDecoder.write()

• Reading text files chunk by chunk without corrupting characters.
• Processing incoming data from sockets and network connections.
• Decoding hexadecimal and Base64 encoded buffer data.
• Displaying human-readable text from binary data sources.
• Handling Unicode characters that may be split across data chunks.

Reference: https://nodejs.org/api/string_decoder.html#string_decoder_stringdecoder_write_buffer