how to Implementing Custom Data Serialization and Deserialization in C#?

Question

I'm working on a project that requires me to implement custom data serialization and deserialization in C# without relying on third-party libraries. This task involves handling complex data structures and preserving object relationships.

I have a class hierarchy that includes multiple custom classes, and I need to convert objects of these classes into a custom binary format for efficient storage and transmission.

Here's a simplified sample example of the class hierarchy:

public class Person
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public int Age { get; set; }
    public List<Address> Addresses { get; set; }
}

public class Address
{
    public string Street { get; set; }
    public string City { get; set; }
}

I'm looking for guidance on how to implement custom serialization and deserialization for these classes. What are the best practices, design patterns, and C# features I should consider?

Answer 1

I would recommend taking a look at official documentation, Serialization in .NET.

There is System.Runtime.Serialization namespace which contains ISerializable Interface that allows you to control serialization and deserialization of an object.

In your case you might want to follow Custom binary serialization to achieve desired output.