VkBufferUsageFlagBits(3)

# VkBufferUsageFlagBits(3) Manual Page

## Name

VkBufferUsageFlagBits - Bitmask specifying allowed usage of a buffer

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## C Specification

Bits which can be set in VkBufferCreateInfo::`usage`, specifying usage behavior of a buffer, are:

    // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_0
    typedef enum VkBufferUsageFlagBits {
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFER_SRC_BIT = 0x00000001,
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFER_DST_BIT = 0x00000002,
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_UNIFORM_TEXEL_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000004,
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_STORAGE_TEXEL_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000008,
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_UNIFORM_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000010,
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_STORAGE_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000020,
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_INDEX_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000040,
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VERTEX_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000080,
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_INDIRECT_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000100,
      // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_2
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_DEVICE_ADDRESS_BIT = 0x00020000,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_video_decode_queue
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VIDEO_DECODE_SRC_BIT_KHR = 0x00002000,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_video_decode_queue
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VIDEO_DECODE_DST_BIT_KHR = 0x00004000,
      // Provided by VK_EXT_transform_feedback
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_BUFFER_BIT_EXT = 0x00000800,
      // Provided by VK_EXT_transform_feedback
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_COUNTER_BUFFER_BIT_EXT = 0x00001000,
      // Provided by VK_EXT_conditional_rendering
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_CONDITIONAL_RENDERING_BIT_EXT = 0x00000200,
    #ifdef VK_ENABLE_BETA_EXTENSIONS
      // Provided by VK_AMDX_shader_enqueue
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_EXECUTION_GRAPH_SCRATCH_BIT_AMDX = 0x02000000,
    #endif
      // Provided by VK_KHR_acceleration_structure
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_ACCELERATION_STRUCTURE_BUILD_INPUT_READ_ONLY_BIT_KHR = 0x00080000,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_acceleration_structure
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_ACCELERATION_STRUCTURE_STORAGE_BIT_KHR = 0x00100000,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_ray_tracing_pipeline
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_BINDING_TABLE_BIT_KHR = 0x00000400,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_video_encode_queue
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VIDEO_ENCODE_DST_BIT_KHR = 0x00008000,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_video_encode_queue
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VIDEO_ENCODE_SRC_BIT_KHR = 0x00010000,
      // Provided by VK_EXT_descriptor_buffer
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SAMPLER_DESCRIPTOR_BUFFER_BIT_EXT = 0x00200000,
      // Provided by VK_EXT_descriptor_buffer
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_RESOURCE_DESCRIPTOR_BUFFER_BIT_EXT = 0x00400000,
      // Provided by VK_EXT_descriptor_buffer
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_PUSH_DESCRIPTORS_DESCRIPTOR_BUFFER_BIT_EXT = 0x04000000,
      // Provided by VK_EXT_opacity_micromap
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_MICROMAP_BUILD_INPUT_READ_ONLY_BIT_EXT = 0x00800000,
      // Provided by VK_EXT_opacity_micromap
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_MICROMAP_STORAGE_BIT_EXT = 0x01000000,
      // Provided by VK_NV_ray_tracing
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_RAY_TRACING_BIT_NV = VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_BINDING_TABLE_BIT_KHR,
      // Provided by VK_EXT_buffer_device_address
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_DEVICE_ADDRESS_BIT_EXT = VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_DEVICE_ADDRESS_BIT,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_buffer_device_address
        VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_DEVICE_ADDRESS_BIT_KHR = VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_DEVICE_ADDRESS_BIT,
    } VkBufferUsageFlagBits;

## Description

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFER_SRC_BIT` specifies that the buffer can be used as the source of a transfer command (see the definition of `VK_PIPELINE_STAGE_TRANSFER_BIT`).

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFER_DST_BIT` specifies that the buffer can be used as the destination of a transfer command.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_UNIFORM_TEXEL_BUFFER_BIT` specifies that the buffer can be used to create a `VkBufferView` suitable for occupying a `VkDescriptorSet` slot of type `VK_DESCRIPTOR_TYPE_UNIFORM_TEXEL_BUFFER`.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_STORAGE_TEXEL_BUFFER_BIT` specifies that the buffer can be used to create a `VkBufferView` suitable for occupying a `VkDescriptorSet` slot of type `VK_DESCRIPTOR_TYPE_STORAGE_TEXEL_BUFFER`.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_UNIFORM_BUFFER_BIT` specifies that the buffer can be used in a `VkDescriptorBufferInfo` suitable for occupying a `VkDescriptorSet` slot either of type `VK_DESCRIPTOR_TYPE_UNIFORM_BUFFER` or `VK_DESCRIPTOR_TYPE_UNIFORM_BUFFER_DYNAMIC`.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_STORAGE_BUFFER_BIT` specifies that the buffer can be used in a `VkDescriptorBufferInfo` suitable for occupying a `VkDescriptorSet` slot either of type `VK_DESCRIPTOR_TYPE_STORAGE_BUFFER` or `VK_DESCRIPTOR_TYPE_STORAGE_BUFFER_DYNAMIC`.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_INDEX_BUFFER_BIT` specifies that the buffer is suitable for passing as the `buffer` parameter to vkCmdBindIndexBuffer2 and vkCmdBindIndexBuffer.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VERTEX_BUFFER_BIT` specifies that the buffer is suitable for passing as an element of the `pBuffers` array to vkCmdBindVertexBuffers.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_INDIRECT_BUFFER_BIT` specifies that the buffer is suitable for passing as the `buffer` parameter to vkCmdDrawIndirect, vkCmdDrawIndexedIndirect, vkCmdDrawMeshTasksIndirectNV, vkCmdDrawMeshTasksIndirectCountNV, `vkCmdDrawMeshTasksIndirectEXT`, `vkCmdDrawMeshTasksIndirectCountEXT`, vkCmdDrawClusterIndirectHUAWEI, or vkCmdDispatchIndirect. It is also suitable for passing as the `buffer` member of `VkIndirectCommandsStreamNV`, or `sequencesCountBuffer` or `sequencesIndexBuffer` or `preprocessedBuffer` member of `VkGeneratedCommandsInfoNV`. It is also suitable for passing as the underlying buffer of either the `preprocessAddress` or `sequenceCountAddress` members of `VkGeneratedCommandsInfoEXT`.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_CONDITIONAL_RENDERING_BIT_EXT` specifies that the buffer is suitable for passing as the `buffer` parameter to vkCmdBeginConditionalRenderingEXT.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_BUFFER_BIT_EXT` specifies that the buffer is suitable for using for binding as a transform feedback buffer with vkCmdBindTransformFeedbackBuffersEXT.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_COUNTER_BUFFER_BIT_EXT` specifies that the buffer is suitable for using as a counter buffer with vkCmdBeginTransformFeedbackEXT and vkCmdEndTransformFeedbackEXT.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SAMPLER_DESCRIPTOR_BUFFER_BIT_EXT` specifies that the buffer is suitable to contain sampler and combined image sampler descriptors when bound as a descriptor buffer. Buffers containing combined image sampler descriptors must also specify `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_RESOURCE_DESCRIPTOR_BUFFER_BIT_EXT`.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_RESOURCE_DESCRIPTOR_BUFFER_BIT_EXT` specifies that the buffer is suitable to contain resource descriptors when bound as a descriptor buffer.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_PUSH_DESCRIPTORS_DESCRIPTOR_BUFFER_BIT_EXT` specifies that the buffer, when bound, can be used by the implementation to support push descriptors when using descriptor buffers.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_RAY_TRACING_BIT_NV` specifies that the buffer is suitable for use in vkCmdTraceRaysNV.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_BINDING_TABLE_BIT_KHR` specifies that the buffer is suitable for use as a Shader Binding Table.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_ACCELERATION_STRUCTURE_BUILD_INPUT_READ_ONLY_BIT_KHR` specifies that the buffer is suitable for use as a read-only input to an acceleration structure build.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_ACCELERATION_STRUCTURE_STORAGE_BIT_KHR` specifies that the buffer is suitable for storage space for a VkAccelerationStructureKHR.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_DEVICE_ADDRESS_BIT` specifies that the buffer can be used to retrieve a buffer device address via vkGetBufferDeviceAddress and use that address to access the buffer’s memory from a shader.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VIDEO_DECODE_SRC_BIT_KHR` specifies that the buffer can be used as the source video bitstream buffer in a video decode operation.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VIDEO_DECODE_DST_BIT_KHR` is reserved for future use.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VIDEO_ENCODE_DST_BIT_KHR` specifies that the buffer can be used as the destination video bitstream buffer in a video encode operation.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VIDEO_ENCODE_SRC_BIT_KHR` is reserved for future use.

- `VK_BUFFER_USAGE_EXECUTION_GRAPH_SCRATCH_BIT_AMDX` specifies that the buffer can be used for as scratch memory for execution graph dispatch.

## See Also

VK_VERSION_1_0, VkBufferUsageFlags

## Document Notes

For more information, see the Vulkan Specification

This page is extracted from the Vulkan Specification. Fixes and changes should be made to the Specification, not directly.

## Copyright

Copyright 2014-2025 The Khronos Group Inc.

SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0