---
title: "What is Serialization?"  
description: "Serialization is the process of taking an object and converting it to a format in which it can be transported across a network or persisted to a stora"  
author: "Saurabh anand"  
published: 2010-12-11  
updated: 2014-09-18  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/blog/71/what-is-serialization  
category: ".net"  
tags: [".net"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# What is Serialization?

[Serialization](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/11917/serialization-in-java) is the [process](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/story/1525/7-important-factors-that-may-affect-the-learning-process) of taking an object and converting it to a format in which it can be transported across a [network](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/13122/an-introduction-to-network-cables) or persisted to a [storage](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/44536/finding-your-self-storage-facility) [location](https://www.mindstick.com/blog/11636/relocating-business-or-office-to-another-location). The storage location could be as [simple](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/story/1469/5-simple-ways-to-stay-fit-amp-healthy) as using a file or a database. The advantage of serialization is the ability to [transmit data](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/31619/if-you-use-either-telnet-or-ftp-which-is-the-highest-layer-you-are-using-to-transmit-data) across the network in a cross-[platform](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/13080/wikipedia-the-most-powerful-advertising-platform-of-the-digital-age)-compatible format.\
\
There are three [formats](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/160705/explain-the-concept-of-datetime-formats-in-c-sharp) of serialization\
• Binary Serialization \
• SOAP Serialization \
• XML Serialization \
\
The format is [controlled](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/view/81837/has-pakistan-controlled-corona-pandemic) based upon what object is used to perform the serialization. The XML format is produced by using the System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer class. The SOAP and binary formats are produced by using classes under the System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters namespace.\

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Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/blog/71/what-is-serialization

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