How to Serialize Complex Objects in JavaScript ?

Serialize Complex Objects in JavaScript refers to the process of converting complex JavaScript objects into a format that can be easily stored or transmitted, typically as a string, such as JSON (JavaScript Object Notation).

Using JSON.stringify()

JSON.stringify() is a built-in JavaScript method that converts objects into JSON strings. It serializes data structures, excluding functions and circular references, facilitating storage or transmission and interoperability with various systems.

Example: In this example, we define a complex object with nested data, then use JSON.stringify() to convert it into a JSON string. Finally, it logs the resulting string representation.

const complexObject = {
    name: "Aman",
    age: 30,
    hobbies:
        [
            "reading",
            "coding",
            "traveling"
        ],
    address:
    {
        city: "Delhi",
        country: "India"
    }
};

const result = JSON.stringify(complexObject);
console.log(result);

{"name":"Aman","age":30,"hobbies":["reading","coding","traveling"],"address":{"city":"Delhi","country":"India"}}

Using Third-Party Libraries

Third-party libraries like CircularJSON provide specialized serialization methods, handling complex objects, circular references, and functions more effectively than native JSON.stringify(). They offer additional features and optimizations for serialization tasks.

npm install circular-json

Example: In this example we are using CircularJSON library to serialize a complex object. It includes arrays and nested objects, into a JSON string, handling circular references gracefully, and outputs the result.

const CircularJSON = require('circular-json');

const complexObject = {
    name: "Rohit",
    age: 30,
    hobbies: ["Dance", "coding", "Boxing"],
    address: {
        city: "Dehradun",
        country: "India"
    }
};

const result = CircularJSON.stringify(complexObject);
console.log(result);

Output:

{"name":"Rohit","age":30,"hobbies":["Dance","coding","Boxing"],"address":{"city":"Dehradun","country":"India"}}