demo · v143
Streaming vs bytes
When to pick blob.bytes() over blob.stream(): bytes() is best when you need the whole payload in memory anyway. This page benchmarks three paths on a blob of a size you choose, plus a peak-memory note.
blob.bytes()
— ms
one allocation, no copy round-trip
arrayBuffer() → Uint8Array
— ms
two-step, extra view construct
stream() concat
— ms
chunked reads, peak ~2× memory
Click Benchmark.
which one to pick
// You need the whole thing in memory? → bytes()
const u8 = await blob.bytes();
// You can process chunks as they arrive? → stream()
for await (const chunk of blob.stream()) {
hash.update(chunk);
}
// You need an ArrayBuffer specifically? → arrayBuffer()
const view = new DataView(await blob.arrayBuffer());why this angle
The other concept compares bytes() against the arrayBuffer round-trip. This one adds the third option — stream() — and helps you pick the right tool. Streaming was already the answer for "process as you go"; bytes() is now the answer for "I need it all".