Pickle

Pickle is a program package for Windows that backports all features and APIs included in the pickle module of Python version 3.8.3. It is necessary to mention that the project features support for PEP 574 additions.

Principle of operation

The pickle module integrates various binary protocols for serializing and de-serializing a Python object structure. In the process of pickling its hierarchy is converted into a byte stream, while the unpickling is the inverse operation.

Data stream format

The distribution relies on a Python-specific data format. This means that there are no restrictions imposed by external standards like XDR or JSON. Nevertheless, the non-Python applications may not be able to reconstruct pickled objects. By default, the data format employs a relatively compact binary representation. In case you need optimal size characteristics, it is possible to efficiently compress pickled information.

The picklettools module provides you with instruments for analyzing data streams generated by pickle. You also have the option to explore the source code and view extensive comments about utilized opcodes. There are currently six different protocols that may be used for pickling. Please note that the higher the version, the more recent the version of Python is required to read the produced pickle.