Serde’s Deserialize trait constructs Rust values from serialized data. It is format-independent: crates such as serde_json bridge the generic Serde data model to JSON and other formats. section 6.3
A typical JSON deserialization workflow is:
- Define a Rust struct matching the input fields and types. section 6.3
- Enable Serde’s derive feature and add serde_json as a dependency. section 6.3
- Add #[derive(serde::Deserialize)] so the compiler generates the implementation. section 6.3 section 6.7
- Give serde_json::from_str the expected type; mismatched input types produce a deserialization error. section 6.3 section 6.7
Parsing a JSON record
Use `#[derive(Debug, serde::Deserialize)]` on `struct Data { name: String, value: i32 }`, then call `let parsed: Data = serde_json::from_str(input).unwrap();`. Valid input becomes a `Data` value; declaring `name` as `i32` instead reports an invalid-type error. section 6.3
Figure 6.1 The Serde ecosystem
Use the Serde ecosystem diagram to see how generic serialization and deserialization connect Rust data types with format-specific crates. section 6.3
