The Java SE 6 documentation on Object Serialization states the following about the uses of Java serialization: Serialization is used for lightweight persistence and for communication via sockets ...

In this tip, you will see how to serialize an object, and why serialization is sometimes necessary. You'll learn about the serialization algorithm used in Java, and see an example that illustrates ...

But while Oracle is addressing the issue in Java, serialization also affects other programming environments like .NET, Ruby, and others, where the issue remains dormant.

In programming languages, serialization is the process of converting data to a binary format for storing it or for sending it over the network. Deserialization is the reverse of that process.