workflow/docs/api-reference/workflow-serde/index.mdx

Workflow SDK - Build durable, resilient, and observable workflows

---
title: "@workflow/serde"
---

Serialization symbols for custom class serialization in Workflow SDK.

## Installation

```package-install
npm i @workflow/serde
```

## Overview

By default, Workflow SDK can serialize standard JavaScript types like primitives, objects, arrays, `Date`, `Map`, `Set`, and more. However, custom class instances are not serializable by default because the serialization system doesn't know how to reconstruct them.

The `@workflow/serde` package provides two symbols that allow you to define custom serialization and deserialization logic for your classes, enabling them to be passed between workflow and step functions.

## Symbols

<Cards>
    <Card href="/docs/api-reference/workflow-serde/workflow-serialize" title="WORKFLOW_SERIALIZE">
        Symbol for defining how to serialize a class instance to plain data.
    </Card>
    <Card href="/docs/api-reference/workflow-serde/workflow-deserialize" title="WORKFLOW_DESERIALIZE">
        Symbol for defining how to reconstruct a class instance from plain data.
    </Card>
</Cards>

## Quick Example


```typescript lineNumbers
import { WORKFLOW_SERIALIZE, WORKFLOW_DESERIALIZE } from "@workflow/serde";

class Point {
  constructor(public x: number, public y: number) {}

  static [WORKFLOW_SERIALIZE](instance: Point) {
    return { x: instance.x, y: instance.y };
  }

  static [WORKFLOW_DESERIALIZE](data: { x: number; y: number }) {
    return new Point(data.x, data.y);
  }
}
```

<Callout>
For a complete guide on custom class serialization, see the [Serialization documentation](/docs/foundations/serialization#custom-class-serialization).
</Callout>