Serialization is the process of converting an object into a format that can be easily stored or transmitted, such as a byte stream. Deserialization is the reverse process, where the byte stream is converted back into a copy of the original object. These processes are crucial for various applications, including data storage, communication between different parts of a system, and enabling persistence.
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Data Persistence: Serialization allows objects to be saved to a file or a database, making it possible to restore the state of an application after a restart.
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Communication: In distributed systems, serialization is used to send objects over a network. This is common in remote procedure calls (RPC) and web services.
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Performance: Serialized data can be efficiently transmitted and stored, reducing the overhead compared to other data formats.
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Interoperability: Different systems or programming languages can communicate with each other using common serialization formats like JSON, XML, or Protocol Buffers.
Serialization and deserialization involve converting complex objects into simpler forms that can be easily stored and transmitted. Here’s a basic outline of how these processes work in Java:
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Implement the Serializable interface in the class.
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Use ObjectOutputStream to write the object to an output stream.
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Use ObjectInputStream to read the object from an input stream.
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Cast the read object back to its original type.