Pickling in python 2

Question

i want to ask why we should pickle an object in python ?
why the file that we want to pickle should be opened in binary mode ?
and what is the HIGHEST_PROTOCOL used in pickling ?

The [docs](https://docs.python.org/2/library/pickle.html#pickle.HIGHEST_PROTOCOL) might be a good place to start — CDspace, Jun 04 '14 at 22:42
You can look at [JSON](https://docs.python.org/2/library/json.html) as well. — dawg, Jun 04 '14 at 22:44
As far as why pickle, this might be of some help http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3438675/common-use-cases-for-pickle-in-python?rq=1 — CDspace, Jun 04 '14 at 22:47
kind of a duplicate… see here: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/8968884/python-serialization-why-pickle/19360828#19360828 — Mike McKerns, Jun 04 '14 at 23:05

Nir Alfasi · Accepted Answer · 2014-06-04T23:47:09.043

You don't "have to" pickle an object, but in case you want to (for purpose of saving it, sending it etc) you can use pickling (serializing).
from the docs:

Note: Be sure to always open pickle files created with protocols >= 1 in binary mode. ...

it means that only files that weren't created using ASCII protocol (protocol 0) should be opened in binary mode. As for why - the answer is probably in the implementation of pickling.

HIGHEST_PROTOCOL is another way of naming the "latest" protocol

Pickling in python 2

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