How the XML ↔ JSON Converter Works

What the Tool Does

The XML ↔ JSON converter transforms data between XML and JSON formats, converting element hierarchies into object structures. This converter handles bidirectional conversion: convert xml to json online and convert json to xml. The converter maps XML elements to JSON objects, XML attributes to object properties (prefixed with @_), and XML text content to string values. It provides best-effort handling for namespaces and CDATA sections, preserving namespace information where possible. The tool supports configurable indentation for both XML and JSON output, allowing you to format the results according to your preferences.

Common Developer Use Cases

Developers use XML JSON converters when working with APIs that use different formats, legacy systems that output XML, or modern applications that consume JSON. Many SOAP APIs return XML, but modern applications prefer JSON, making xml to json conversion essential for integration. The xml json converter is valuable when migrating data between systems, transforming API responses, or working with configuration files in different formats. Before converting, you may want to validate your XML using the XML Validator or format it with the XML Formatter. After converting to JSON, you can format and validate the output using the JSON Formatter. The converter helps when debugging integration issues, comparing data structures, or preparing data for systems that require a specific format.

Data Formats, Types, or Variants

XML and JSON have fundamentally different structures: XML is element-based with attributes, while JSON is value-based with objects and arrays. The converter uses a standard mapping: XML elements become JSON objects, XML attributes become properties prefixed with @_ (like @_id), and XML text content becomes string values stored in a #text property. Repeated XML elements with the same name are converted to JSON arrays. Empty XML elements (<x/>) become empty objects ({"x": }). XML namespaces are preserved in the JSON structure where possible. When converting JSON to XML, the converter reverses this mapping, creating XML elements from JSON objects and attributes from @_ prefixed properties.

Example conversions:

• Single element: <person id="1">John</person> → {"person": {"@_id": "1", "#text": "John"}}
• Repeated elements: <items><item id="1"/><item id="2"/></items> → {"items": {"item": [{"@_id": "1"}, {"@_id": "2"}]}}

Common Pitfalls and Edge Cases

One common issue is that XML attributes and elements are both converted to JSON properties, which can create ambiguity when converting back. Another pitfall is handling of mixed content: XML elements with both text and child elements require special handling in JSON. XML namespaces can create complex property names in JSON that may not be ideal for programmatic access. CDATA sections are preserved but may appear as escaped strings in JSON. Processing instructions and comments are typically lost or converted in ways that may not round-trip perfectly. The order of XML elements is preserved when they are represented as JSON arrays (repeated elements), but JSON object property order is not guaranteed in all implementations and shouldn't be relied upon. When converting large XML documents, the resulting JSON structure may be deeply nested and complex. Developers should verify that the conversion preserves the data they need, especially for edge cases like empty elements, attributes-only elements, and namespaced elements.

When to Use This Tool vs Code

Use this converter for quick format transformations, one-off conversions, or when working outside your development environment. It's ideal for converting xml to json online, debugging integration issues, or preparing data for different systems. For production code, use XML/JSON conversion libraries integrated into your application that can handle format transformations as part of data processing pipelines. XML and JSON parsing libraries provide better error handling, streaming for large documents, and more control over conversion options. Browser tools excel at ad-hoc conversions and exploration, while code-based solutions provide automation, validation, and integration with CI/CD pipelines. For enterprise integrations, native libraries offer better performance, schema validation, and support for complex XML features like XPath and XSLT.