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Serialization vs Deserialization

General/Othereasy0.2 min read

Reviewed by Aditya Kumar · Last reviewed 2026-03-24

Serialization: Object → bytes (JSON, Avro, Protobuf). Deserialization: Bytes → object. WHY: Storage, transmission. TRADE-OFFS: Avro/Protobuf for schema evolution in Kafka; Parquet for columnar. Spark uses Kryo for shuffles....

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Asked at 1 company
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243
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Difficulty Split
151E|43M|49H
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Expert Answer
41 words

Serialization: Object → bytes (JSON, Avro, Protobuf). Deserialization: Bytes → object. WHY: Storage, transmission. TRADE-OFFS: Avro/Protobuf for schema evolution in Kafka; Parquet for columnar. Spark uses Kryo for shuffles. COST: Schema-based formats add overhead but enable evolution; avoid pickle for cross-language.

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Pro Tip

Red Flag: 'JSON for everything.' Pro-Move: 'Kafka: Avro for evolution; Parquet for storage; we benchmarked Kryo vs Java—Kryo 30% smaller shuffles.'

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