Is java object serialization compatible between 1.5 and 1.6

Question

I am wondering whether it is safe to mix jdk 1.5 and 1.6 (Java 6) object serialization (biderctional communication). I searched for an explicit statement from sun concerning

Answer 1

Note that the Java Beans specification details a version-independent serialization method which allows for strong backwards-compatibility. It also results in readable "serialized" forms. In fact a serialized object can be created pretty easily using the mechanism.

Look up the documentation to the XMLEncoder and XMLDecoder classes.

I wouldn't use this for passing an object over the wire necessarily (though if high performance is a requirement,I wouldn't use serialization either) but it's invaluable for persistent object storage.

Answer 2

After testing with a serialized object written to a file using the ObjectOutputStream in a Java 1.5 program, then running a read with a ObjectInputStream in a Java 1.6 program I can say this worked without any issue.