What is binary serialization in C#?

What is binary serialization in C#?

Binary serialization in C# is the process of converting an object into a binary format for storage or transmission.

Why would I use binary serialization instead of XML or JSON?

Binary serialization is more efficient in terms of size and speed compared to XML or JSON, making it suitable for performance-critical applications.

Can you show me a simple example of binary serialization in C#?

Sure! Here's a basic example:

using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary;

[Serializable]
public class Person {
    public string Name;
    public int Age;
}

class Program {
    static void Main() {
        Person person = new Person { Name = "Alice", Age = 30 };
        IFormatter formatter = new BinaryFormatter();
        using (Stream stream = new FileStream("person.bin", FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write)) {
            formatter.Serialize(stream, person);
        }
    }
}

This code serializes a Person object to a binary file.

What are the limitations of binary serialization?

Some limitations include platform dependency, versioning issues, and difficulty in debugging compared to text-based formats like JSON.