c# - serialize to stream or not -

i found 2 different examples of how serialize data. 1 using stream , other not?

stream1.position = 0; streamreader sr = new streamreader(stream1); console.write("json form of person object: "); console.writeline(sr.readtoend()); 

from msdn

   public static string tojson(this object obj, int recursiondepth = 100)       {          javascriptserializer serializer = new javascriptserializer();          serializer.recursionlimit = recursiondepth;          return serializer.serialize(obj);      }       public static list<t> tolistobject<t>(this string obj, int recursiondepth = 100)      {          javascriptserializer serializer = new javascriptserializer();          serializer.recursionlimit = recursiondepth;          list<t> returnlist = serializer.deserialize<list<t>>(obj);          return returnlist;      }  

from stackoverflow

why use stream added step?

using stream or reader/writer api may convenient if talking backed such file or network-socket, , data large (i.e. don't want have load huge string in memory).

the string-based api more convenient when handling small amounts of data, typical in ajax/http scenarios. note serializers do not have api directly exposes string input/output, such common scenario json has been made easy you.

one convenience wrapper of other. way around implementation detail, although hope primary internal code stream- or reader/writer- based (to allow large documents without overhead).

use whichever convenient purpose.