Reserialize

Reserialize is the act of producing a serialized representation of data again, either after the data has been deserialized into memory or after its content has been transformed. In programming, serialization is the process of converting in-memory objects into a byte stream or text form for storage or transmission. Reserialization, therefore, may involve re-encoding the object to a different serialization format, or emitting a modified object back into the original format.

Common scenarios include converting data from one wire format to another (for example, JSON to XML), persisting updated objects by serializing them anew, or preparing data for transmission through a protocol that requires a particular layout. In data pipelines and APIs, reserialization helps maintain compatibility across components and enables schema evolution.

Security considerations: In security discussions, reserialization is linked to deserialization vulnerabilities in which untrusted input is deserialized, altered, and reserialized, potentially leading to security breaches. Mitigations emphasize validating and restricting types during deserialization, using safe deserializers, applying integrity checks, and keeping libraries up to date.

Design considerations include ensuring idempotence, maintaining data integrity, and balancing performance with compatibility when choosing serialization formats. Reserialization workflows may involve versioning and validation steps to prevent data loss or incompatibilities.

Related concepts include serialization and deserialization, as well as common data formats such as JSON, XML, YAML, Protocol Buffers, and other domain-specific formats.