XML Formatter
Quickly and easily format and beautify XML strings. Paste your XML Data below.
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XML Formatting and Structure
XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is used in web services (SOAP), configuration files (Android layouts, Maven pom.xml), RSS feeds, SVG graphics, and enterprise data exchange. Proper formatting makes XML readable and easier to debug.
XML vs JSON
- Verbosity: XML uses opening and closing tags — typically 3–5× more characters than equivalent JSON
- Attributes: XML supports node attributes; JSON doesn't have a direct equivalent
- Comments: XML supports <!-- comments --> natively; standard JSON doesn't
- Schema validation: XSD provides strict structural validation for XML
Common XML Errors
- Unclosed tags: every opening tag must have a closing tag or be self-closing
- Unescaped special characters: use & for &, < for <, > for >
- Case sensitivity: <User> and <user> are different elements in XML
- Multiple root elements: valid XML must have exactly one root element
What is the difference between well-formed and valid XML?
Well-formed XML follows all XML syntax rules (proper nesting, single root element, quoted attributes). Valid XML is well-formed AND conforms to a specific schema (DTD or XSD). A browser can parse well-formed XML; enterprise applications may require schema-valid XML matching a predefined structure.
When should I use XML instead of JSON?
Use XML when: you need document-centric data with mixed content; you need namespaces, XSLT, or XPath; integrating with SOAP APIs or legacy enterprise systems; or you need strict XSD schema validation. For new REST APIs and browser/mobile, JSON is preferred — lighter and natively parsed by JavaScript.