action message format (AMF)

Action Message Format (AMF) is an Adobe file format for serializingActionScript and XMLobjects. The AMF format is used to exchange data between a database and the application program running in the client.

This protocol can also be used to transfer messages between the Flash Player and a remote service of a Flash Media Server. The ActionScript programming language provides several classes for encoding and decoding the AMF format.

The AMF format is also commonly used in the RTMP protocol, which provides connection establishment and control for streaming media. The data for this is transferred encapsulated in a chunk.