the process of translating data structures or object state into a format that can be universally stored (for example, in a file or memory buffer, or transmitted across a network connection link) and reconstructed later in the same or another computer environment [Wikipedia--Serialization]
Data Serialization solves the problem of porting data across disparate computer environments using a common format understood at both ends of the serialization/deserialization process. Data may be serialized into different "Data Serialization Formats" that have advantages and disadvantages under different scenarios and may be broadly categorized as either a text-based (i.e. human readable) encoding or byte-stream-based (i.e. binary) encoding.
Some popular formats include
- XML
- JSON
- Google Protocol Buffers
