Serialization Guide

Serialization is the process of converting an object into a format that can be stored or transmitted (e.g., JSON, XML, etc.). This guide will help you understand the basics of serialization and how to implement it in your applications.

Why Serialize?

Data Persistence: Store data in a file or database for later use.
Data Transmission: Send data over a network to another application or service.
Interoperability: Share data between different systems and languages.

Serialization Formats

JSON: Lightweight and easy to read, widely used for web APIs.
XML: Standard format for structuring data, widely used in various industries.
Protocol Buffers: Efficient and compact binary format, used by Google.

Serialization in Different Languages

Python

Python has built-in modules like json and pickle for serialization.

import json

data = {"name": "John", "age": 30}
json_data = json.dumps(data)
print(json_data)

JavaScript

JavaScript uses JSON.stringify() and JSON.parse() for serialization and deserialization.

const data = {name: "John", age: 30};
const jsonData = JSON.stringify(data);
console.log(jsonData);

Java

Java provides ObjectOutputStream and ObjectInputStream for serialization.

import java.io.*;

public class SerializationExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            FileOutputStream fileOut = new FileOutputStream("employee.ser");
            ObjectOutputStream out = new ObjectOutputStream(fileOut);
            Employee emp = new Employee("John", 30);
            out.writeObject(emp);
            out.close();
            fileOut.close();
        } catch (IOException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
}

Useful Resources

For more information on serialization, you can visit the following resources: