What are alternatives to ObjectInputStream/ObjectOutputStream and how do they compare?

In Java, while ObjectInputStream and ObjectOutputStream are commonly used for object serialization and deserialization, there are several alternatives that provide various features and performance benefits. Here we'll explore some of these alternatives:

• JSON (JavaScript Object Notation): Libraries like Jackson or Gson allow for easy serialization and deserialization of Java objects to JSON format. JSON is lightweight and widely used, making it a popular choice for web applications.
• XML (eXtensible Markup Language): Libraries like JAXB (Java Architecture for XML Binding) can serialize Java objects to XML format and vice versa. XML is more verbose than JSON but is preferred for applications that require strict structure and validation.
• Protocol Buffers: Developed by Google, Protocol Buffers (protobuf) is a language-agnostic binary serialization format. It's much more compact than JSON and XML, making it efficient for data transmission, especially over networks.
• Thrift: Apache Thrift is another binary serialization framework that supports multiple programming languages. It also provides cross-language RPC (remote procedure call) capabilities.
• Avro: Developed within the Apache Hadoop project, Avro is a row-oriented remote procedure call and data serialization framework. It's designed to work with large datasets and supports schema evolution.

Each of these alternatives has its own pros and cons, depending on requirements like human readability, performance, and ease of use.