sys.stdout.write versus sys.buffer.stdout.write in Python

Differences between sys.stdout.write(text) and sys.buffer.stdout.write(text) in Python:

sys.stdout.write(text)

• Writes text to the standard output stream (typically the terminal or console).
• Encodes text to the system's default encoding before writing.
• Handles newline characters automatically, converting them to appropriate line endings for the current platform.
• Suitable for writing human-readable text to the console or terminal.

sys.buffer.stdout.write(text)

• Writes raw binary data to the standard output stream.
• Does not perform any encoding or decoding.
• Requires binary data as input.
• Handles newline characters as raw bytes.
• Suitable for writing binary data or data that needs to be processed by external programs.

Key Differences

Feature	sys.stdout.write(text)	sys.buffer.stdout.write(text)
Input Type	Text (string)	Binary data (bytes)
Encoding	Encodes to system default	No encoding
Newline Handling	Converts newlines to platform-specific endings	Handles newlines as raw bytes
Use Case	Writing human-readable text	Writing binary data or data for external processing

Example Usage

Python

import sys

# Write text to the console
sys.stdout.write("Hello, world!\n")

# Write binary data to the console (assuming data is a bytes object)
sys.buffer.stdout.write(data)

Choosing the Right Method

• Use sys.stdout.write(text) for writing human-readable text to the console or terminal.
• Use sys.buffer.stdout.write(text) for writing binary data or data that needs to be processed by external programs.

Additional Considerations

• If you need more control over encoding or newline handling, consider using the io module's TextIOWrapper and BufferedWriter classes.
• For writing to files, use the open() function with appropriate modes.

sys.stdout.buffer.write(text) outputs text as bytes. Use it when dealing with binary data or non-text streams. So, if your text handling involves encoding, non-ASCII characters, or raw binary data, use sys.stdout.buffer.

Otherwise, stick to sys.stdout.write for the usual text output.