Serialization Beyond JSON: How Systems Preserve Meaning Across Boundaries

Serialization is often treated as a low-level detail—JSON, Protobuf, or binary formats. But beneath these implementations lies a deeper idea: systems must preserve structure and meaning as data crosses boundaries—between processes, machines, and time.

In this talk, we’ll reframe serialization as a fundamental concept that explains not just APIs and storage, but also how real-world systems work—from sensors and ADCs to communication protocols.

By viewing serialization as the problem of preserving meaning under constraints, we can better understand where systems fail, how information gets lost, and how to design and debug more effectively.

This perspective connects software and hardware through a single lens, offering a practical way to reason about systems beyond formats and tools.

Serialization is about preserving meaning, not just formatting data

System failures often arise from loss of meaning across boundaries

A unified way to think about debugging across software and hardware systems