diff --git a/src/helper/binarybuffer.c b/src/helper/binarybuffer.c
index 405e1011d..ab8218ca2 100644
--- a/src/helper/binarybuffer.c
+++ b/src/helper/binarybuffer.c
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ const unsigned char bit_reverse_table256[] =
 };
 
 
-u8* buf_cpy(u8 *from, u8 *to, int size)
+u8* buf_cpy(const u8 *from, u8 *to, int size)
 {
 	unsigned int num_bytes = CEIL(size, 8);
 	unsigned int i;
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ u8* buf_cpy(u8 *from, u8 *to, int size)
 	return to;
 }
 
-int buf_cmp(u8 *buf1, u8 *buf2, int size)
+int buf_cmp(const u8 *buf1, const u8 *buf2, int size)
 {
 	int num_bytes = CEIL(size, 8);
 	int i;
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ int buf_cmp(u8 *buf1, u8 *buf2, int size)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int buf_cmp_mask(u8 *buf1, u8 *buf2, u8 *mask, int size)
+int buf_cmp_mask(const u8 *buf1, const u8 *buf2, const u8 *mask, int size)
 {
 	int num_bytes = CEIL(size, 8);
 	int i;
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ u8* buf_set_ones(u8 *buf, int count)
 	return buf;
 }
 
-u8* buf_set_buf(u8 *src, int src_start, u8 *dst, int dst_start, int len)
+u8* buf_set_buf(const u8 *src, int src_start, u8 *dst, int dst_start, int len)
 {
 	int src_idx = src_start, dst_idx = dst_start;
 	int i;
diff --git a/src/helper/binarybuffer.h b/src/helper/binarybuffer.h
index 7100b872f..3305caf3a 100644
--- a/src/helper/binarybuffer.h
+++ b/src/helper/binarybuffer.h
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
  */
 
 /* inlining this will help show what fn that is taking time during profiling. */
-static __inline void buf_set_u32(u8* buffer, unsigned int first, unsigned int num, u32 value)
+static inline void buf_set_u32(u8* buffer, unsigned int first, unsigned int num, u32 value)
 {
 	if ((num==32)&&(first==0))
 	{
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ static __inline void buf_set_u32(u8* buffer, unsigned int first, unsigned int nu
 		}
 	}
 }
-static __inline u32 buf_get_u32(u8* buffer, unsigned int first, unsigned int num)
+static inline u32 buf_get_u32(const u8* buffer, unsigned int first, unsigned int num)
 {
 	if ((num==32)&&(first==0))
 	{
@@ -73,12 +73,12 @@ static __inline u32 buf_get_u32(u8* buffer, unsigned int first, unsigned int num
 
 extern u32 flip_u32(u32 value, unsigned int num);
 
-extern int buf_cmp(u8 *buf1, u8 *buf2, int size);
-extern int buf_cmp_mask(u8 *buf1, u8 *buf2, u8 *mask, int size);
-extern u8* buf_cpy(u8 *from, u8 *to, int size);
+extern int buf_cmp(const u8 *buf1, const u8 *buf2, int size);
+extern int buf_cmp_mask(const u8 *buf1, const u8 *buf2, const u8 *mask, int size);
+extern u8* buf_cpy(const u8 *from, u8 *to, int size);
 
 extern u8* buf_set_ones(u8 *buf, int count);
-extern u8* buf_set_buf(u8 *src, int src_start, u8 *dst, int dst_start, int len);
+extern u8* buf_set_buf(const u8 *src, int src_start, u8 *dst, int dst_start, int len);
 
 extern int str_to_buf(const char *str, int len, u8 *bin_buf, int buf_size, int radix);
 extern char* buf_to_str(const u8 *buf, int size, int radix);
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ extern int buf_to_u32_handler(u8 *in_buf, void *priv, struct scan_field_s *field
 #define CEIL(m, n)	((m + n - 1) / n)
 
 /* read a u32 from a buffer in target memory endianness */
-static __inline u32 fast_target_buffer_get_u32(u8 *buffer, int little)
+static inline u32 fast_target_buffer_get_u32(const u8 *buffer, int little)
 {
 	if (little)
 		return le_to_h_u32(buffer);