serielisering

Serielisering, or serialization in English, is the process of converting an object, data structure, or program state into a format that can be stored or transmitted and later reconstructed. The reverse operation is deserialisering (deserialization). Serialization enables persistence, inter-process communication, network transmission, and caching. The resulting format may be text-based, such as JSON, XML, or YAML, or binary, such as Protocol Buffers, Avro, Thrift, Cap'n Proto, or MessagePack. Binary formats are typically more compact and faster to parse, while text formats are human-readable and easier to inspect.

Serialization frameworks differ in how they handle object graphs. Some preserve references and support cyclic graphs; others create simpler, detached representations. Important considerations include determinism, data type fidelity, and compatibility across versions (schema evolution). How to handle optional fields, defaults, and migrations is a key design issue.

Security is a concern: deserializing data from untrusted sources can lead to code execution or data corruption in some platforms. Best practices include validating input, using safe deserializers, and avoiding the deserialization of arbitrary types when possible.

Common use cases include storing application state to disk, sending messages between services, performing remote procedure calls, and caching results. The choice of serialization format depends on requirements for readability, bandwidth, speed, interoperability, and the need to enforce a schema or support versioning.