XML to JSON Converter Online

XML vs JSON - Understanding the Difference

XML (Extensible Markup Language) and JSON are both text-based formats for representing structured data, but they were designed for different eras of software development. XML was standardized in 1998 and became the backbone of enterprise software integration, SOAP web services, RSS feeds, and document formats like DOCX and SVG. JSON emerged in the early 2000s as a leaner, more JavaScript-friendly alternative and has since become the dominant format for REST APIs and web applications.

How to Convert XML to JSON Online

1. Copy your XML content from a file, API response, or browser DevTools network tab.
2. Click "Open XML to JSON Converter" above.
3. Paste the XML into the input panel.
4. The converted JSON output appears immediately on the right.
5. Copy the result or download it as a .json file.

Example XML input:

<users>
  <user id="1">
    <name>Alice</name>
    <email>alice@example.com</email>
  </user>
  <user id="2">
    <name>Bob</name>
    <email>bob@example.com</email>
  </user>
</users>

Resulting JSON output:

{
  "users": {
    "user": [
      { "@id": "1", "name": "Alice", "email": "alice@example.com" },
      { "@id": "2", "name": "Bob",   "email": "bob@example.com" }
    ]
  }
}

Common Use Cases

Consuming SOAP API responses

Legacy enterprise systems and banking APIs frequently use SOAP, which wraps data in verbose XML envelopes. Converting the SOAP response to JSON makes it far easier to inspect with browser DevTools, process with jq, or pass to a modern frontend. This is a common task when building a REST facade over a SOAP service.

Parsing RSS and Atom feeds

RSS and Atom feed data is XML. Converting it to JSON makes it trivial to process in JavaScript without using the verbose DOM-based DOMParser API. Many headless CMS integrations and feed aggregators perform this conversion as part of their data pipeline.

Migrating from XML-based config to JSON

Older Java and .NET projects often use XML for configuration (Maven's pom.xml, Spring's beans.xml, ASP.NET's web.config). Converting these to JSON is the first step when modernizing an application or migrating configuration to a system that expects JSON.

Processing exported data from enterprise software

ERP systems (SAP, Oracle), e-commerce platforms, and content management systems often export data as XML. Converting to JSON lets you load the data into MongoDB, Elasticsearch, or a REST API using standard tooling.

Frequently Asked Questions

How are XML attributes handled when converting to JSON?

XML attributes have no direct equivalent in JSON. The common convention is to prefix attribute names with @ and include them as keys alongside the element's text content (often stored under #text). For example, <user id="5">Alice</user> becomes {"user": {"@id": "5", "#text": "Alice"}}.

Can I convert SOAP XML responses to JSON?

Yes. SOAP envelopes are valid XML and convert cleanly. The resulting JSON will include the SOAP Envelope, Header, and Body as nested objects. This is useful when inspecting a SOAP response or building a REST wrapper around a legacy SOAP service.

Why does my XML produce a deeply nested JSON structure?

XML is inherently a tree structure, and each element becomes a nested JSON object. Deeply nested XML (like SOAP envelopes or complex feeds) naturally produces deeply nested JSON. If you only need part of the data, use a JSON path query after conversion to extract the specific fields you need.

What happens to XML namespaces in JSON output?

XML namespace prefixes (like ns0:element) are typically preserved as part of the key name in the JSON output. Namespace declarations may appear as attributes on the root element. If namespace prefixes clutter your output, they can be stripped in a post-processing step by renaming the keys.