Serializable
The serialization of objects in Java allows you to make a byte sequence from any object that has
implemented the Serializable interface; it also allows you to turn that byte sequence back into an object.
The mechanism does not depend on the operating system, which means you can transfer objects via
your network and restore them at the other side of the wire.
With serialization, you can easily implement a so-called lightweight persistence, prolonging an object's life
beyond the life of the application. The serialization mechanism has been added into the Java language
for two reasons: (1) the JavaBeans mechanism uses serialization, and (2) remote method invocation
(RMI) allows you to automatically use objects located at another host in the network just like any local
objects.
Externalizable
There might be times when you have special requirements for the serialization of an object. For example,
you may have some security-sensitive parts of the object, like passwords, which you do not want to keep
and transfer somewhere. Or, it may be worthless to save a particular object referenced from the main
object because its value will become worthless after restoring.
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