XStream xstream = new XStream(); xstream.alias("myClass", com.example.MyClass.class); @XStreamAlias("myClass") public class MyClass { // class definition } public class MyClass { private transient String unnecessaryField; // other fields and methods } XStream xstream = new XStream(); xstream.omitField(UnnecessaryClass.class, "fieldToOmit"); xstream.registerConverter(new CustomConverter());