# Python Pickle Module

The `pickle` module implements binary protocols for serializing and de-serializing a Python object structure. "Pickling" is the process whereby a Python object hierarchy is converted into a byte stream, and "unpickling" is the inverse operation.

## Importing the Module

```python
import pickle
```

## Pickling (Serialization)

To serialize an object hierarchy, you simply use `pickle.dump()`.

```python
import pickle

data = {
    'a': [1, 2.0, 3, 4+6j],
    'b': ("character string", b"byte string"),
    'c': {None, True, False}
}

with open('data.pickle', 'wb') as f:
    pickle.dump(data, f)
```

## Unpickling (Deserialization)

To deserialize a data stream, you use `pickle.load()`.

```python
import pickle

with open('data.pickle', 'rb') as f:
    data = pickle.load(f)
    print(data)
```

## Pickling to/from Strings

*   `pickle.dumps()`: Returns the pickled representation of the object as a bytes object.
*   `pickle.loads()`: Reads a pickled object hierarchy from a bytes object.

```python
import pickle

data = [1, 2, 3]
serialized = pickle.dumps(data)
print(serialized)

deserialized = pickle.loads(serialized)
print(deserialized)
```

## Security Warning

**Warning**: The `pickle` module is **not secure**. Only unpickle data you trust. It is possible to construct malicious pickle data which will execute arbitrary code during unpickling. Never unpickle data received from an untrusted or unauthenticated source.

[[programming/python/python]]