What This Tool Does
This converter translates JSON documents into well-formed XML and parses XML back into JSON. It preserves attributes (prefixed with @), text content (stored as #text), nested structures, and arrays (as repeated elements). Useful for integrating modern JSON APIs with legacy SOAP or XML-based systems.
Inputs Explained
- Direction: JSON → XML or XML → JSON.
- Input: Paste JSON or XML document.
- Root Element: Wraps output XML when converting JSON (default: root).
- Indent: Pretty-print output with 2 or 4 spaces, or minified.
How It Works
JSON to XML: recursively walks the JSON tree, emitting opening/closing tags for each key, with arrays producing repeated elements. XML to JSON: parses XML with DOMParser, walking elements into a JSON tree where attributes become @attr properties and text content becomes #text.
Formula / Logic Used
JSON to XML & XML to JSON Converter
Convert between JSON and XML with full attribute and nested structure support.
Step-by-Step Example
Input JSON:
{"book":{"@id":"1","title":"Guide","author":"Ramesh"}}
Output XML:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <book id="1"> <title>Guide</title> <author>Ramesh</author> </book>
Use Cases
- SOAP API integration: Convert JSON request bodies to XML for legacy SOAP services.
- RSS/Atom feed generation: Transform JSON article data into RSS XML format.
- Android/iOS resources: Convert between JSON config and XML resource files.
- Enterprise system migration: Bridge JSON-based modern APIs with XML-heavy enterprise platforms.
- Data exchange: Transform data between partners using different serialization formats.
Assumptions and Limitations
- Attributes are prefixed with @ in JSON representation (common convention).
- Text content alongside elements is stored under #text key to preserve mixed content.
- XML comments, CDATA sections, and processing instructions are not preserved in JSON conversion.
- Namespaced XML is partially supported — namespace prefixes appear in element names but xmlns declarations need manual handling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are some JSON keys prefixed with @?
The @ prefix indicates an XML attribute. For example, {"book":{"@id":"1"}} converts to
What does #text mean in the JSON output?
When an XML element has both attributes and text content (mixed content), the text is stored under the #text key. For example,
Hello
becomes {"p":{"@class":"intro","#text":"Hello"}}.How are XML arrays represented in JSON?
Repeated XML elements with the same tag name become JSON arrays.
Are XML comments preserved?
No. Comments, CDATA sections, and processing instructions are stripped during conversion. Only elements, attributes, and text content are preserved.
Can I convert XML with namespaces?
Partially. Namespace prefixes (like xs:element) become part of the element name in JSON. Namespace declarations (xmlns) are preserved as attributes. Full namespace-aware conversion requires manual handling.
What's the difference between XML and JSON?
JSON is more compact and directly maps to JavaScript objects. XML supports attributes, namespaces, schemas, and mixed content natively. JSON is preferred for modern web APIs; XML is common in enterprise and legacy systems.
Is my data stored anywhere?
No. Conversion happens entirely in your browser using DOMParser and JSON.parse. Data never leaves your device.
Can the tool handle very large XML files?
Modern browsers can parse several MB of XML in the browser. For files over 10 MB, performance may degrade depending on your device.
Sources and References
- W3C — XML Specification — Official XML 1.0 standard.
- MDN — DOMParser — Browser API used for XML parsing.
- ECMA-404 — JSON Standard — JSON format specification.
- Badgerfish XML-to-JSON Convention — The JSON-XML mapping convention used in this tool.