JSON vs XML: Which Should You Use?

JSON and XML both describe structured data, but they read very differently. JSON is terser - no closing tags - and maps naturally onto objects/arrays in most programming languages, which is why it dominates modern REST APIs.

XML remains common in enterprise systems, document formats (like SOAP, RSS, and many config files), and anywhere you need attributes, namespaces, or mixed content alongside text. Our XML Formatter and JSON Formatter make either easier to read at a glance.

Quick comparison

• JSON: smaller payloads, native to JavaScript, no schema required
• XML: supports attributes/namespaces, strong schema validation (XSD), better for documents