Data transfer: serialization & deserialization

Serialization and Deserialization are the fundamental concepts that help in transferring the data across the network. The data is converted to the required format for transferring the data from one place to another place. In this article you will understand the fundamentals of the Serialization and Deserialization.

What is Serialization ?

Serialization is the process of converting an object's state or data into a form that can be transferred over a network. There are many forms of serialization.

Formats of Serialization

Binary form
JSON
XML
Protocol Buffers
YAML
Avro

Importance of Serialization

Serialization helps to store the state of data in the hard-disks or other storage devices.
Serialized objects allow the user to send the data to send over the network.
Communicating between the API’s.
Sending and receiving through web sockets.

What is Deserialization ?

Deserialization is the process of converting the stream of data to human readable form which is present in the storage or received from the network.

Working of Serialization

Now we will understand the working of serialization using JSON/BSON in javascript.

const data = {
    name: "Sumukha Sureban",
    age: 23,
    city: "Bengaluru",
    country: "India"
}

// Serializing
const serializedData = JSON.stringify(data);
console.log(serializedData);

// Deserialization
const deserializedData = JSON.parse(serializedData);
console.log(deserializedData);

Output

{"name":"Sumukha Sureban","age":23,"city":"Bengaluru","country":"India"}

{
  name: 'Sumukha Sureban',
  age: 23,
  city: 'Bengaluru',
  country: 'India'
}

Converting to Byte format

const data = {
    name: "Sumukha Sureban",
    age: 23,
    city: "Bengaluru",
    country: "India"
}

// Serializing
const jsonString = JSON.stringify(data);

// Converting to bytes
const encoder = new TextEncoder();
const byteArray = encoder.encode(jsonString);

console.log(byteArray)

Output

Uint8Array(40) [
  123,  34, 110,  97, 109, 101, 34, 58,  34,
   65, 108, 105,  99, 101,  34, 44, 34,  97,
  103, 101,  34,  58,  50,  53, 44, 34, 105,
  115,  65, 100, 109, 105, 110, 34, 58, 116,
  114, 117, 101, 125
]
{ encoding: 'utf-8' }

Why can’t we send the JSON objects directly ?

You might be having a question why the objects or data is not directly passed in the form

Programming Languages Store Data Differently
- JavaScript stores objects in memory as complex structures with pointers.
- Other languages (like Python, Java, or Go) store objects differently.
- If you send a raw JavaScript object, another system (e.g., a Python server) won't understand it.
Memory Representation is Not Transferable
- Objects in JavaScript exist in RAM (Random Access Memory) and are not stored in a universal format.
- Memory addresses & references do not make sense outside the JavaScript runtime.
Networks & Storage Only Understand Text/Binary
- Networks transmit bytes, not objects.
- Databases & file systems expect structured text (JSON, XML) or binary data (Protobuf, MessagePack).

Conclusion

Serialization is a crucial part of transferring data from one device to another. It allows for persistent and quick data transfer.

Explore

Explore serialization in other languages

Teleporting Data: The Journey of Serialization and Deserialization

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