Pickle

Overview

Data structure support	+-	Pickle is used to store Python object structures like list or dict in a byte stream. In contrast to marshal, already serialised objects are tracked so that later references are not serialised again. Recursive objects are also possible.
Standardisation	++	Pickle is defined in the Python Enhancement Proposals Proposals 307, 3154 and 574.
Schema IDL	--	No
Language support	--	Python-specific
Human readability	+-	Pickle is a binary serialisation format, but it can be easily read with Python.
Speed	+-	The pickle format can usually be serialised and deserialised quickly by Python; see also Don’t pickle your data.
File size	++	Compact binary format, which can, however, be compressed even further, see also Data Compression and Archiving.

See also

pickle – Python object serialization

Documentation of the pickle module

shelve – Python object persistence

Indexed databases of pickle objects

Uwe Korn: The implications of pickling ML models

Alternatives to pickle for ML models

Ned Batchelder: Pickle’s nine flaws

Disadvantages of pickle and alternatives