feat: Use Uint8Array instead of Buffer to adopt widely available API

[rogaldh]

Description

Replace Buffer usage with Uint8Array across the codebase for browser compatibility. Introduces a comprehensive byte-helper library (app/shared/lib/bytes.ts) that provides Uint8Array-native equivalents for all common Buffer operations: base64, hex, UTF-8 encoding/decoding, integer reads/writes (u8, u16LE, u32LE), concat, equals, alloc, and a polymorphic bytes() constructor. toBuffer() is retained solely as an adapter for external libraries (@solana/web3.js, @coral-xyz/anchor, @solana/spl-account-compression) that still require Buffer.

Type of change

• New feature
• Other (please describe): Internal refactor - Buffer to Uint8Array migration

Screenshots

n/a

Testing

Regression testing (preview deployment)

Address pages

• Jupiter DCA (program/IDL/anchor/verified builds)
• NFToken account
• Security.txt (Marinade)
• Compressed NFT / Merkle tree
• Orca Whirlpool (verified build / security.txt)
• Pyth oracle
• Non-existent account (alloc)

SAS attestation

• Schema
• Credential
• Attestation

Transaction pages

• Hex data / program logs
• Serum/OpenBook instruction titles
• ATA creation inspect
• Compute units schedule
• Devnet transaction (Buffer interop)

Inspector and search

• Transaction inspector — load a transaction, verify simulation works
• Search bar — enter a valid base64 string, verify it resolves

Quick checklist (from regression)

Base64

• IDL Download: Jupiter DCA -> Download IDL -> verify valid JSON
• Security.txt: Marinade shows security.txt info correctly
• Transaction Logs: Serum tx, verify logs display correctly
• Transaction Inspector: inspector, load a transaction, verify simulation works
• Verified Builds: Orca Whirlpool, verified build badge appears

Hex

• Hex Data Display: Serum tx, open "Raw" tab, verify hex data displays correctly
• Verified Build Hash: Orca Whirlpool, program hash matches expected value
• Serum/OpenBook Titles: Serum tx, instruction titles decode correctly

UTF-8

• IDL Download: Jupiter DCA, verify JSON file contains valid UTF-8
• Security.txt Export: Marinade, base64 export works correctly
• Verified Builds: Orca Whirlpool, OtterSec verification check works

Buffer.alloc

• Transaction Inspector: inspector, load ATA creation transaction, verify parsing
• Non-existent Account: non-existent address, page loads without errors

Related Issues

n/a

Checklist

• My code follows the project's style guidelines
• I have added tests that prove my fix/feature works
• All tests pass locally and in CI
• I have updated documentation as needed
• I have run build:info script to update build information
• CI/CD checks pass

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Project	Deployment	Actions	Updated (UTC)
explorer	Ready	Preview, Comment	Mar 31, 2026 5:40pm

[greptile-apps]

Greptile Summary

This PR replaces Buffer usage across 42 files with Uint8Array-native equivalents, centralised in a new app/shared/lib/bytes.ts helper library, to improve browser compatibility. A toBuffer() adapter is retained only for the three external libraries (@solana/web3.js, @coral-xyz/anchor, @solana/spl-account-compression) that still require Buffer.

Key observations:

• bytes.ts implementation is solid: toBase64 uses the safe per-element Array.from loop (avoiding the V8 argument-count overflow fixed in a prior round), fromHex normalises odd-length hex before calling the native path (also fixed), and toBuffer correctly preserves byteOffset/byteLength when wrapping subarrays.
• isValidBase64 is now genuinely correct: The old SearchBar.tsx implementation called Buffer.from(str, 'base64') which never throws, so it always returned true. The migrated version uses atob() which does throw on invalid input — this is a net bug fix.
• readUint32LE DataView usage is correct: The new DataView(bytes.buffer, bytes.byteOffset, bytes.byteLength) pattern correctly accounts for the array's byte offset, so sliced arrays (e.g. instruction.data.slice(1, 5)) are read accurately.
• Minor API design concern: bytes.ts exports both readU8 (throws RangeError on out-of-bounds) and readUint8 (silently returns 0 via ?? 0) with nearly identical names but different error semantics, alongside the duplicate concat / concatBytes pair. These are not runtime bugs in the current PR but create a confusing surface for future callers.

Confidence Score: 5/5

PR is safe to merge; all previous round concerns are addressed and no P0/P1 issues were found.

All remaining findings are P2 style/quality suggestions (duplicate function pairs in bytes.ts). The migration logic is correct throughout, the toBase64 overflow and fromHex odd-length inconsistency from prior review rounds are both fixed, and the isValidBase64 change is a genuine bug fix. No correctness or data-integrity issues found.

app/shared/lib/bytes.ts — minor API surface cleanup opportunity (readU8 vs readUint8, concat vs concatBytes)

Important Files Changed

Filename	Overview
app/shared/lib/bytes.ts	New central byte-helper library replacing Buffer; generally well-implemented but exports two near-identical read-byte functions with different error semantics and two equivalent concat functions
app/shared/lib/tests/bytes.test.ts	Thorough test coverage for all byte-helper functions including native API, fallback paths, and Buffer parity checks
app/components/instruction/ed25519/Ed25519DetailsCard.tsx	Migrated from Buffer.readUInt8/readUInt16LE to readUint8/readUint16LE helpers; behavioral change on malformed data (silent 0 vs throw) is acceptable in this rendering context
app/components/SearchBar.tsx	Replaced local isValidBase64 with the shared implementation; the new version actually validates base64 (atob throws on invalid input) unlike the old Buffer.from which never threw — this is a correct bug fix
app/components/inspector/into-parsed-data.ts	Replaced Buffer.alloc/equals/discriminatorToBuffer with Uint8Array equivalents; logic preserved correctly
app/features/idl/interactive-idl/model/anchor/anchor-interpreter.ts	Replaced Buffer.from(string) with fromUtf8(string) for bytes/defined-type arguments; semantically identical since Buffer.from without encoding defaults to UTF-8
app/features/idl/interactive-idl/model/pda-generator/seed-builder.ts	Migrated to Uint8Array-native bytes helpers; BN LE serialisation and hex/UTF-8 seed conversion preserved correctly
app/features/security-txt/lib/fromProgramData.ts	Replaced Buffer-based base64 decode and indexOf with Uint8Array equivalents; logic unchanged
app/components/instruction/pyth/program.ts	Removed uint8ArrayToBuffer dependency; replaced buffer slice + toString('utf-8') with toUtf8(b.slice(...))
app/utils/verified-builds.tsx	Migrated fromBase64/toHex/fromUtf8 to shared byte helpers; no logic changes
app/components/instruction/serum/types.ts	Replaced Buffer.readUInt32LE with readUint32LE helper; DataView correctly uses byteOffset so slice+read semantics are preserved

Flowchart

%%{init: {'theme': 'neutral'}}%%
flowchart TD
    A[Callers across 42 files] -->|string / ArrayLike / ArrayBuffer| B["bytes() constructor"]
    A -->|hex string| C[fromHex]
    A -->|base64 string| D[fromBase64]
    A -->|UTF-8 string| E[fromUtf8]

    B --> F[Uint8Array]
    C --> F
    D --> F
    E --> F

    F -->|encode output| G[toHex]
    F -->|encode output| H[toBase64]
    F -->|decode output| I[toUtf8]
    F -->|external lib boundary| J[toBuffer → Buffer]

    J --> K["@solana/web3.js\n@coral-xyz/anchor\n@solana/spl-account-compression"]

    style J fill:#f9e4b7,stroke:#c9a227
    style K fill:#fce8e8,stroke:#c0392b

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_{Reviews (2): Last reviewed commit: "fix: improve implementations for fromHex..." | Re-trigger Greptile}

[rogaldh]

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