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DevOps & Automation · Foundational

Data Serialization

Converting in-memory data structures into a format that can be stored or transmitted, and back (deserialization).

Definition

Common formats are JSON, YAML, XML, Protobuf, and CSV. Text formats are human-readable; binary formats such as Protobuf are compact and fast. Choosing a format depends on tooling, schema needs, and performance.

Example

json.dumps(device_dict) serializes a Python dict to a JSON string for an API body.

Exam tip

Know which formats each protocol uses: NETCONF=XML, RESTCONF=XML/JSON, gNMI=Protobuf/JSON.

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