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A Vertex Array Object (VAO) is an object which contains one or more Vertex Buffer Objects and is designed to store the information for a complete rendered object.

(pulled from khronos)

Each buffer tends to constitute one attribute of a vertex array (object). A VAO can contain many vertex attributes (e.g. position, color, UV). Each might be held in its own buffer, where buffer indicates an unformatted series of contiguous bytes, and where you need to explicitly specify the size (type) per buffer element for both CPU side OpenGL calls and GPU-side shader work.

That's one way. The other ways this can work are:

• All of the attributes are stored interleaved in a single buffer, OR
• Some of the attributes exist in their own dedicated buffers, while others share buffers.

The below diagram describes these latter two cases.

Bottom line: If the phrase "vertex array" is used unqualified in OpenGL, you can assume it means VAO, which is a very different thing indeed from a buffer.

EDIT re your comment: GL_ARRAY_BUFFER indicates an intention to use that buffer object for vertex attribute data, as described above. This is because buffers are not used only for vertex attributes. However, as it is the most common use-case and you are asking about VAOs, I won't go into the others; here however is a list of the other types of buffers that can be set up.

A Vertex Array Object (VAO) is an object which contains one or more Vertex Buffer Objects and is designed to store the information for a complete rendered object.

(pulled from khronos)

Each buffer tends to constitute one attribute of a vertex array (object). A VAO can contain many vertex attributes (e.g. position, color, UV). Each might be held in its own buffer, where buffer indicates an unformatted series of contiguous bytes, and where you need to explicitly specify the size (type) per buffer element for both CPU side OpenGL calls and GPU-side shader work.

That's one way. The other ways this can work are:

• All of the attributes are stored interleaved in a single buffer, OR
• Some of the attributes exist in their own dedicated buffers, while others share buffers.

The below diagram illustrates these latter two cases.

Bottom line: If the phrase "vertex array" is used unqualified in OpenGL, you can assume it means VAO, which, in an OpenGL context (specifically) is a very different thing indeed from a buffer.

EDIT re your comment: GL_ARRAY_BUFFER indicates an intention to use that buffer object for vertex attribute data, as described above. This is because buffers are not used only for vertex attributes. However, as it is the most common use-case and you are asking about VAOs, I won't go into the others; here however is a list of the other types of buffers that can be set up.

A Vertex Array Object (VAO) is an object which contains one or more Vertex Buffer Objects and is designed to store the information for a complete rendered object.

(pulled from khronos)

Each buffer tends to constitute one attribute of a vertex array (object). A VAO can contain many vertex attributes (e.g. position, color, UV). Each might be held in its own buffer, where buffer indicates an unformatted series of contiguous bytes, and where you need to explicitly specify the size (type) per buffer element for both CPU side OpenGL calls and GPU-side shader work.

That's one way. The other ways this can work are:

• All of the attributes are stored interleaved in a single buffer, OR
• Some of the attributes exist in their own dedicated buffers, while others share.

The below diagram describes these latter two cases.

Bottom line: If the phrase "vertex array" is used unqualified in OpenGL, you can assume it means VAO, which is a very different thing indeed from a buffer.

EDIT re your comment: GL_ARRAY_BUFFER indicates an intention to use that buffer object for vertex attribute data, as described above. This is because buffers are not used only for vertex attributes. However, as it is the most common use-case and you are asking about VAOs, I won't go into the others; here however is a list of the other types of buffers that can be set up.

A Vertex Array Object (VAO) is an object which contains one or more Vertex Buffer Objects and is designed to store the information for a complete rendered object.

(pulled from khronos)

Each buffer tends to constitute one attribute of a vertex array (object). A VAO can contain many vertex attributes (e.g. position, color, UV). Each might be held in its own buffer, where buffer indicates an unformatted series of contiguous bytes, and where you need to explicitly specify the size (type) per buffer element for both CPU side OpenGL calls and GPU-side shader work.

That's one way. The other ways this can work are:

• All of the attributes are stored interleaved in a single buffer, OR
• Some of the attributes exist in their own dedicated buffers, while others share buffers.

The below diagram describes these latter two cases.

Bottom line: If the phrase "vertex array" is used unqualified in OpenGL, you can assume it means VAO, which is a very different thing indeed from a buffer.

EDIT re your comment: GL_ARRAY_BUFFER indicates an intention to use that buffer object for vertex attribute data, as described above. This is because buffers are not used only for vertex attributes. However, as it is the most common use-case and you are asking about VAOs, I won't go into the others; here however is a list of the other types of buffers that can be set up.

A Vertex Array Object (VAO) is an object which contains one or more Vertex Buffer Objects and is designed to store the information for a complete rendered object.

(pulled from khronos)

Each buffer tends to constitute one attribute of a vertex array (object). A VAO can contain many vertex attributes (e.g. position, color, UV). Each might be held in its own buffer, where buffer indicates an unformatted series of contiguous bytes, and where you need to explicitly specify the size (type) per buffer element for both CPU side OpenGL calls and GPU-side shader calls.

That's one way. The other ways this can work are:

• All of the attributes are stored interleaved in a single buffer, OR
• Some of the attributes exist in their own dedicated buffers, while others share.

The below diagram describes the latter two cases.

Bottom line: If the phrase "vertex array" is used unqualified in OpenGL, you can assume it means VAO, which is a very different thing indeed from a buffer.

EDIT re your comment: GL_ARRAY_BUFFER indicates an intention to use that buffer object for vertex attribute data, as described above. This is because buffers are not used only for vertex attributes. However, as it is the most common use-case and you are asking about VAOs, I won't go into the others; here however is a list of the other types of buffers that can be set up.

A Vertex Array Object (VAO) is an object which contains one or more Vertex Buffer Objects and is designed to store the information for a complete rendered object.

(pulled from khronos)

Each buffer tends to constitute one attribute of a vertex array (object). A VAO can contain many vertex attributes (e.g. position, color, UV). Each might be held in its own buffer, where buffer indicates an unformatted series of contiguous bytes, and where you need to explicitly specify the size (type) per buffer element for both CPU side OpenGL calls and GPU-side shader work.

That's one way. The other ways this can work are:

• All of the attributes are stored interleaved in a single buffer, OR
• Some of the attributes exist in their own dedicated buffers, while others share.

The below diagram describes these latter two cases.

Bottom line: If the phrase "vertex array" is used unqualified in OpenGL, you can assume it means VAO, which is a very different thing indeed from a buffer.

EDIT re your comment: GL_ARRAY_BUFFER indicates an intention to use that buffer object for vertex attribute data, as described above. This is because buffers are not used only for vertex attributes. However, as it is the most common use-case and you are asking about VAOs, I won't go into the others; here however is a list of the other types of buffers that can be set up.